Giorgio Ghisi: The Death of Procris (1540)

(Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, USA)

An engraving by the Italian artist Giorgio Ghisi (1520-1582). This piece shows a scene from a tale of Procris and Cephalus, as told by the Roman poet Ovid (43 BC–AD 17). According to the story Procris and Cephalus were married to each other but Procris feared that her husband was in love with a nymph. Procris spies on her husband while he is hunting. When Cephalus hears Procris rustling in the woods, he mistakes her for game and throws his magical spear that never misses its mark. Engraving from 1540.