This rather dark painting was created by the Dutch artist Willem Drost (c. 1633–1659). Drost was a pupil of the famous master painter, Rembrandt (1606–1669), and this association curiously caused the Sibyl painting to undergo an interesting art journey. Somehow, Drost’s Sibyl became misattributed to Rembrandt for centuries, being repeatedly sold under Rembrandt’s name well into the late 19th century. Since then, however, scholars have come to a confident consensus that the style and execution of this painting are decidedly Willem Drost’s in nature. Italian themes, like the Sibyl, also further point to Willem Drost, as he lived in Italy in the final years of his life between 1655 and 1659, and he was likely inspired by an earlier famed Sibyl painting by the Italian artist, Domenichino (1581–1641).
A Sibyl, also spelled Sibylle and Sibyll, is a curious female figure from ancient Roman and Greek history and legend. Their nature was an interesting amalgamation of the prophetess, divine messenger, fortune teller, and revelatory writer archetypes. As told by the ancient Romans, the Sibyls were a group of prophetic women whose numbers varied between 1 and 12. Similar in manner to the oracular Greek priestesses who operated in Delphi, the Sibyls were described as being particularly erratic and flamboyant in their behavior, and were prone to uttering barrages of cryptic messages from the beyond while contorting in exaggerated body gestures. Sibyls made appearances in Roman origin myths, such as the story of the Trojan refugee, Aeneas (allegedly an ancestor of Rome’s founders), who traveled with the Cumaean Sibyl into the underworld.
Myth and legend aside, a living Sibyl was also said to have been active during the Roman kingdom era, and a collection of sayings and prophecies attributed to the Sibyls was reported to have been purchased by the Roman government in the time of Rome’s last king, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (r. 534-509 BCE). Rome’s compiled collection of cryptic and poetic riddles was called the Sibylline Books, and the text, which was treated with great respect, was placed under guard in Rome’s main temple of Jupiter.
Prophecies and riddles from the Sibylline Books were often perused by the Romans in times of great crisis. Rough wars, political turmoil, times of plague, and other similar devastating events, could provoke the Romans to pull out the Books and search the pages for advice and direction. Curiously, little is known about what was actually written in the Sibylline Books, as the Sibylline prophecies were rarely quoted by ancient authors. Nevertheless, whatever the pages contained, they remained safe in their guarded temple until they were evidently heavily damaged by fire in 83 BCE, during the time of the dictator, Sulla. Despite the damaged state of the Sibylline Books, Romans continued to consult the remnants for centuries more, until whatever remained was completely destroyed by General Flavius Stilicho around 407 CE.
It is this history that Willem Drost (c. 1633–1659) reconnected with when he painted The Sibyl. Much symbolism can be made from the oppressive darkness of the painting, obscurely depicting a finely dressed Italian woman behind a shadowy veil of dusky black. Perhaps, in connection with the Sibylline Books, it represents gloomy prophecies about the fated fall of the Roman Empire. Or, the dim and somber scenery could likely allude to the Cumaean Sibyl’s association with the underworld. Whatever the case, the enigmatic artwork is undoubtedly thought-provoking and intriguing.
Written by C. Keith Hansley
Sources:
- The Aeneid by Virgil, translated by Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Classics, 2006.
- The History of Rome by Livy, translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt. New York: Penguin Classics, 2002.
- https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/domenichino-domenico-zampieri-15811641
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Domenichino_-_The_Cumaean_Sibyl_-_WGA06405.jpg
- https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437415
