PowerofWomen

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The"PowerofWomen"(WeibermachtinGerman)isamedievalandRenaissanceartisticand
literarytopos,showing"heroicorwisemendominatedbywomen",presenting"anadmonitoryand
oftenhumorousinversionofthemaledominatedsexualhierarchy".[1]ItwasdefinedbySusan
Smithas"therepresentationalpracticeofbringingtogetheratleasttwo,butusuallymore,well
knownfiguresfromtheBible,ancienthistory,orromancetoexemplifyaclusterofinterrelated
themesthatincludethewilesofwomen,thepoweroflove,andthetrialsofmarriage".[2]Smith
arguesthetoposoriginatesinclassicalliterature[3]andfindsitinmedievaltextssuchasAucassin
etNicolette,TheConsolationofPhilosophy,theRomandelaRose,andtheCanterburyTales.[4]
Shearguesthatthetoposisnotsimplya"straightforwardmanifestationofmedieval
antifeminism"rather,itis"asiteofcontestthroughwhichconflictingideasaboutgenderroles
couldbeexpressed".[5]ThetoposwasattackedbyChristinedePisanaround1400.
Inthevisualarts,imagesarefoundinvariousmedia,mainlyfromthe14thcenturyonwards,and
becomingincreasinglypopularinthe15thcentury.Bythenthefrequentlyrecurringsubjects
includeJudithbeheadingHolofernes,PhyllisridingAristotle,SamsonandDelilah,Salomeandher
motherHerodias,JaelkillingSisera,BathshebabathinginsightofDavid,TheIdolatryof
Solomon,Virgilinhisbasket,aswellasmanydepictionsofwitches,andgenreimagesofwives
dominatingtheirhusbands.JosephandPotiphar'swifeandLotandhisDaughtersweresomewhat
latejoinerstothegroup,butincreasinglypopularlateron.[6]
Thesescenes,mostlyshowninconsistentcompositionsinvolvingjusttwopersonsandvisually
distinctiveactions,wereeasilyrecognisableandseemtohavealsobeenrepresenteddramatically
inentertainmentsofvarioussorts,whetherasshortscenesortableauxvivants.[7]

Contents
1Visualarts
1.1Themesandcontext

JudithwiththeHeadofHolofernesby
LucasCranachtheElder,1530

2Gallery
3Seealso
4Notes
5References
6Furtherreading

Visualarts
InearlyimagesfromtheGothicperiodgenresubjectsor"classical"onessuchasPhyllisRiding
AristotleandVirgilinhisBasket,infactbothmedievallegendaryaccretions,weremorepopularthan
thebiblicalonespredominatinglater.TheyoftenappearonthesamepiecesastheAssaultontheCastle
ofLove,asonacasketinBaltimore.Thisandsimilarsubjectsofcourtlylovemostlysurviveonivory
objectsforfemaleuse,suchascasketsormirrorcases.Itshowsladiesdefendingacastleagainstmen,
generallyunsuccessfully.[8]Theseimagesareessentiallylightheartedromanticfantasygivenacomic
treatmentsuchscenesweresometimesstagedaslightreliefattournaments.[9]
ThePowerofWomenthemeisespeciallypopularinNorthernRenaissanceartfromthesixteenth
century,whichdepicts"imagesdrawnfromhistorical,mythological,andbiblicalsourcesthatillustrate
women'spowerovermen,specificallyasaresultoftheirsexualattractiveness".[10]Severalofthe
storiesinvolvethekillingofthemale,andthisandtheirreligiouscontexteffectivelyremovemuchof
thecomicpotentialofthegroup,butbynomeanstheeroticpossibilitesexploitedbymanyartists.

15thcenturyaquamanilewithPhyllis
ridingAristotle

ThequestionoftheattitudesshowntowardsviolencebywomeninthecauseofvirtueisperhapsbestseeninthefigureofJael,whosekilling
ofSiserabyhammeringatentpegintohisheadmakesanespeciallygraphicimage.Accordingtosomefeministcritics,depictionsofher
turnedhostileintheRenaissance,andlikeJudithsheiscertainlygroupedwith"bad"figuressuchasHerodiasandDelilah.Yetshewas
included,withJudithandEsther,asoneofHansBurgkmair's"DreiGutJudin"("ThreeGoodJewesses")trioofBiblicalheroinesinhis
EighteenWorthies,addingninewomentothetraditionalmaleNineWorthies.[11]
ThePowerofWomensubjectsareseeninpaintingandothermedia,butprintsweretheirspecialhome.LucasvanLeydenmadetwosetsof
woodcutsknownastheLargePowerofWomenandtheSmall,fromtheirsize.BothofthesebeganwithAdamandEve,andaddedJezebeland
Ahabtotheusualsubjects.Theyhavesomewhatstaticcompositions,andithasbeensuggestedthattheydrawfromtableauxvivantsofthese

scenes.[12]AnothersetbyHansBurgkmair(1519)isknownastheLiebestorheitenorFolliesofLove.[13]Atthesametimetherewasalsoan
interest,oftenamongthesameartists,inwomenfromsimilarsettingswhowerepowerless,oronlyabletoescapetheirsituationsbysuicide,
suchasSusanna,DidoofCarthage,Lucretia,andVerginia.[14]ThestoryofEstherlaysomewherebetweenthesetwoextremes.[15]
TheLittleMasterswereamongthoseartistsgreatlyinterestedinbothgroups.Thetreatmentof
bothgroups,especiallyinprints,wasoftenfranklyerotic,andthesegroupstooktheirplace
alongsidefemalesaintsandloversbothmythologicalandrealisticinthecommontreatmentsof
womeninart.InterestinsuchthemesspreadtoItaly,affectingVenicefirst,andthesubjects
becamecommoninLateRenaissanceItalianpainting,andevenmoresoduringtheBaroque,
perhapsculminatingintheworkofArtemisiaGentileschi,whopaintednearlyallthebiblical
PowerofWomensubjects,mostmorethanonce.Whileherchoiceofsubjectsisassumedtobe
drivenbyherdifficultlife,CristofanoAllori'sbestknownwork,JudithwiththeHeadof
Holofernes,usesasmodelshisformermistressforJudith,withhermotherasthemaid,anda
selfportraitfortheheadofHolofernes.[16]

ArtemisiaGentileschi,Judithkilling
Holofernes,versioninFlorence,1621

InNorthernpainting,theCranachswerethefirstartiststopaintthesubjectsoften.[17]In1513
LucasCranachtheElderdecoratedthenuptialbedofJohn,ElectorofSaxonywithasetof
scenesincludingTheIdolatryofSolomonaswellasHerculesandOmphale(seebelow)andthe
JudgementofParis.Therespectivesonsofthepatronandartist,JohnFrederickI,Electorof
SaxonyandLucasCranachtheYounger,generatedanothersetofpaintings,nowinthe
GemldegalerieAlteMeister.[18]ThepossibilityhasbeenraisedthatsomeoftheCranach
workshop'smanyJudithsareportraitsofladiesattheSaxoncourt[19]someotherpaintingsof
Jaelcertainlyareportraits.

Themesandcontext
Severalofthesesubjectscontainapartcomicalelementofrolereversalinasocietythatwasessentiallypatriarchal,aboveallthe
"quintessentialimagefromthePowerofWomentopos,PhyllisRidingAristotle."[20]ThisthemewasfirstanalysedbyNatalieZemonDavisin
1975,[21]whoconcludedthatthe"overallfunctions"ofthesereversalswasthat"theyaffordedanexpressionof,andanoutletfor,conflicts
aboutauthoritywithinthesystemandtheyalsoprovidedoccasionsbywhichtheauthoritariancurrentinfamily,workshop,andpoliticallife
couldbemoderatedbythelaughterofdisorderandparadoxicalplay.Accordinglytheyservedtoreinforcehierarchicalstructure".[22]Therole
reversalsubjectofHerculesandOmphaledidnotfitthemainPowerofWomentrope,asHercules'periodservingOmphalewasnotcausedby
interactionbetweenthem,andtheylatermarried.Itbecamepopularfromthe16thcentury,andtheCranachfamilypaintedmanyversions
showingOmphaleandherladiesdressingHerculesindrag.[23]

PhyllisRidingAristotlewaspaintedonthewallsofseveralGermantownhalls,[24]thoughthedesignAlbrechtDrermadeforNuremberg,as
partofaPowerofWomencycle,wasnevercarriedout.Somesetsofprintshaveornamentalbordersthatsuggesttheywereintendedtobe
pastedtowalls,asmanylargerprintswere.Whilemanyofthesmallerprintswereprobablymostlyseenbymalecollectorsandtheirfriends,
thesepaintingsandwallmountedprints"musthavebeenintendedtoentertainoramusebothmenandwomen".[25]SomeoftheFlorentine
Ottoprints,essentiallydesignedforafemaleaudience,showwomentriumphingovermen,thoughmostshowpacificscenesoflovers.[26]
Otherlargeprintsintendedforwalls,wherePowerofWomensubjectsareespeciallycommon,adoptadifferenttypeofcompositionfromthe
smallprintswithafewfigures,showinglargeandwellpopulatedpanoramicsceneswherethekeyfigurescanbehardtopickout.Davidand
BathshebaorSalome'sstoryaresetamidwidetownscapes,andJudithkillsHolofernesinacornerofa
hugebattlesceneinfrontofawalledcity.[27]
Theassociationofwitchcraftspecificallyandalmostexclusivelywithwomenwasanoveltyofthelate
15thcentury,forwhichthebookMalleusMaleficarum(1486)remainsanemblem,thoughits
significancehasbeenquestioned.Theinterpretationofthemanyimagesofwitcheshasbeenthesubject
ofconsiderablescholarlyinterestinrecentdecades,andmanydifferinginterpretationshavebeenput
forward.Aswellasallowingscopeforimaginativefantasy,aneroticelementisclear,aboveallinthe
workofHansBaldungGrien,theartistmostassociatedwiththesubject.Theseriousnesswithwhich
eithertheartistortheiraudiencetooktherealityofwitchcrafthasbeenquestionedtosomeextent
theseseemtohavebeenthehorrormoviesoftheirday.[28]TheWitchofEndorwasapreviously
obscuresubjectthatallowedthecombinationofbiblicalandwitchcraftinterest.

Gallery

PhyllisRidingAristotle,Lucasvan
Leyden

FrenchGothicivorywritingtablet
coverwithPhyllisseducing
AristotleandVirgilinhisbasket,
134060

AssaultontheCastleofLove,ivory
mirrorcase,134060,France

MasteroftheHousebook,Aristotle
andPhyllis,15thcenturyengraving

MasterE.S.,SamsonandDelilah,
1460s

IsrahelvanMeckenem,TheAngry
Wife,genreengraving,1490s[29]

AnothervanMeckenemherethe
manperformsthenormallyfemale
workofspinningwhilehispartner
threatenshimwithanelaborate
objectsuggestingpower.

JuandeFlandes,Herodias'
Revenge,1496

Early16thcenturymisericordof
twowomenjousting,mountedon
men,Walcourt,Belgium

LucasvanLeyden,TheIdolatryof
Solomon,inspiredbyhispagan
wife,fromthe"LargePowerof
Women"setofwoodcuts,1514 [30]

BewitchedStableGroom,Hans

SebaldBeham,Judithwiththe

BaldungGrien,c.1534 [31]

HeadofHolofernes,1547 [32]

JacopoAmigoni,JaelandSisera,
1739

Seealso
MasteroftheWeibermacht

Notes

WikimediaCommonshas
mediarelatedtoPowerof
Women.

1. Ainsworth,p.59
2. Babinsky,ElenL.(1997)."Rev.ofSmith,ThePowerofWomen"(http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?
fromPage=online&aid=2298424).ChurchHistory66(2):34041.doi:10.2307/3170688(https://dx.doi.org/10.2307%2F3170688).
3. Millett,Bella(22September1997)."Rev.ofSmith,ThePowerofWomen"
(http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+Power+of+Women%3A+A+%27Topos%27+in+Medieval+Art+and+Literature.a020331549).MediumAevum.
4. Harp,Margaret(1996)."Rev.ofSmith,ThePowerofWomen"(http://www.jstor.org/stable/1348248).RockyMountainReviewofLanguageand
Literature50(2):20810.
5. Smith,SusanL.(2006).MargaretSchaus,ed.WomenandGenderinMedievalEurope:AnEncyclopedia(http://books.google.com/books?
id=aDhOv6hgN2IC&pg=PA845).Taylor&Francis.pp.84445.ISBN9780415969444.
6. Russell,pp.147148,Nos2032(Judith),87110,120125Ainsworth,pp.5966Salomon,pp.8788
7. Snyder,461
8. Butnotalways.MoretypicallytheonlyrealresistanceisCupidfiringarrows.
9. Loomis,RogerSherman,"TheAllegoricalSiegeintheArtoftheMiddleAges",AmericanJournalofArchaeology,Vol.23,No.3(Jul.Sep.,1919),
pp.255269,JSTOR(free)(http://www.jstor.org/stable/497460)
10. Salomon,Nanette(2004).ShiftingPriorities:GenderandGenreinSeventeenthcenturyDutchPainting(http://books.google.com/books?
id=t90DUibNUMoC&pg=PA87).StanfordUP.p.87.ISBN9780804744775.
11. Russell,2939,No1Wolfthal,Diane(October2000).ImagesofRape:TheHeroicTraditionanditsAlternatives.CambridgeUniversityPress.p.123.
ISBN0521794420Bohn,Babette(2005).TheArtemisiaFiles"Death,DispassionandtheFemaleHero:Gentileschi'sJaelandSisera".Chicago:
UniversityofChicagoPress.ISBN0226035824.
12. Russell,pp.119,153,Large:Nos90,96,100Small:Nos66,92Snyder,461462.Thesmallset,of151619includedthesceneswithEve,Jael,
Delilah,Solomon,JezebelandHerodias,thelargesetofc.1512addedVirgilandthelegendoftheBoccadellaVeritor"MouthofTruth"inRome.
TheAristotleandPhyllisofc.1515isinthesameformatbutmaybealateraddition.Sincenomuseumhasafullsetonthesamepapertheymayhave
beensoldmainlysingly.
13. Russell,p.160,Nos94,97.Thissetcontains:SamsonandDelilah,BathshebaandDavid,TheIdolatryofSolomon,andPhyllisridingAristotle.
14. Russell,Nos114
15. Russell,Nos1,15,16

15. Russell,Nos1,15,16
16. LucyWhitaker,MartinClayton,TheArtofItalyintheRoyalCollectionRenaissanceandBaroque,p.270,RoyalCollectionPublications,2007,ISBN
9781902163291
17. Ainsworth,p.66
18. Ainsworth,p.62
19. Ainsworth,pp.6366
20. Russell,p.175
21. "WomenonTop"inherSocietyandCultureinEarlyModernFrance:EightEssays,Stanford,California:StanfordUniversityPress,1975
22. NatalieZemonDavis,"WomenonTop",quotedbyRussell,p.175
23. Foralonganalysisofthetheme,seeRosenthal,Lisa,"Hercules'Distaff",especiallyp.128ff,inGender,Politics,andAllegoryintheArtofRubens,
2005,CambridgeUniversityPress,ISBN0521842441,9780521842440,GoogleBooks(https://books.google.co.uk/books?
id=tIa0iUVpGbcC&pg=PA128)
24. Russell,p.150Parshall,pp.234235
25. Russell,p.150Parshall,pp.234235.Drer'swatercolourdesignisintheMorganLibrary,seehere
(http://corsair.morganlibrary.org/collimages/1/144284v_0004.jpg)andhasroundelswithBathshebaandDavid,SamsonandDelilah,andPhyllisriding
Aristotle.
26. example,BritishMuseum(http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=756921&partId=1).This
collection,intheBritishMuseumisthepatternbookofaworkshopprobablymakinginsertsforsmallboxesofsweetdelicaciessuchasweregivento
theguestsatweddings.
27. Bartrum,p.154,Nos.96,158,160Parshall,pp.234235
28. Zika,Charles,"ImagesofWitchcraftinEarlyModernEurope",inLevack,BrianP.(ed),TheOxfordHandbookofWitchcraftinEarlyModernEurope
andColonialAmerica,2013,OxfordUniversityPress,ISBN0199578168,9780199578160,GoogleBooks(https://books.google.co.uk/books?
id=Lum96_FPZp0C&pg=PA143)Russell,pp.14,147148,Nos103105Harbison,Craig.TheArtoftheNorthernRenaissance,pp.120121,1995,
Weidenfeld&Nicholson,ISBN0297835122Bartrum,6970thereisafurtheraccountofthedevelopmentofscholarshipbyZikainpp.4865here
(https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=SRvhAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA48)
29. Russell,No.125
30. Russell,No.100
31. Russell,No.105
32. Russell,No.28

References

Ainsworth,MaryanWynn,etal.,GermanPaintingsintheMetropolitanMuseumofArt,13501600,2013,MetropolitanMuseumofArt
(NewYork,N.Y.),ISBN1588394875,9781588394873,googlebooks(https://books.google.co.uk/books?
id=MKkSBtJNBUwC&pg=PA59)
Bartrum,GiuliaGermanRenaissancePrints,14901550BritishMuseumPress,1995,ISBN9780714126043
Parshall,Peter,inLandau,David,andParshall,Peter.TheRenaissancePrint,Yale,1996,ISBN0300068832
Russell,HDiane(ed),Eva/AveWomeninRenaissanceandBaroquePrints,NationalGalleryofArt,Washington,1990,ISBN
1558610391
Snyder,James.NorthernRenaissanceArt,1985,HarryN.Abrams,ISBN0136235964

Furtherreading
Smith,SusanL.,ThePowerofWomen:A'Topos'inMedievalArtandLiterature.,UniversityofPennsylvaniaPress,1995,ISBN
081222798
Tal,Guy,WitchesonTop:Magic,Power,andImaginationintheArtofEarlyModernItaly,Dissertation,IndianaUniversity,2006,
Proquest,ISBN0542847914,9780542847912
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