Vna aliqua gemma satis ad naturam contemplationem: the original and verisimilar look of Agrippina

Abstract

Memórias de Agripina (1993) is a work marked by the places evoked by Nero’s mother on her final night. Settings, whether natural or man‐made, as symbols of enticing ideas, enthrall her. They have been transformed into landscapes of her mind and soul and are impregnated with the presence of the dead. Agrippina’s point of view is defined by her version of the Tacitean account of her death: the opal and crystal inlustris sky reveals her poetic vision, conveyed through gem metaphors, which reflect the luxus of her time and which were considered by Pliny to be the epitome of nature’s majesty.