Abstract/Summary

This article traces developments in representations of Sophonisba between antiquity and early modernity. In particular, the article considers how Petrarch’s representation of the Carthaginian woman can illuminate an important moment in the development of modern discourses of “race”. After outlining the ancient sources available to Petrarch, the article hones in on Sophonisba in Petrarch’s De viris illustribus, the Africa, and Triumphus Cupidinis, and how she relates to Dido and Cleopatra. The article takes Mantegna’s “A Woman Drinking” as a pivotal moment in the reception of Sophonisba during the early Renaissance between her story in Petrarch’s texts and later dramatic representations.