Zelfmoord van Lucretia

Lucretia is depicted in a central, collapsing pose as she drives a blade into her heart to defend her honor. She is surrounded by four men in Roman military and civilian dress who react with shock and grief, while a background archway reveals a city street where soldiers are assembling. The print utilizes the muscular, dynamic figures characteristic of late 16th-century Northern Mannerism.

Lucretia was a primary 'exemplum virtutis' (example of virtue) in Renaissance humanism, representing the Stoic ideal of prioritizing moral integrity over physical life. Her suicide is a pivotal moment in Roman legendary history, marking the end of the monarchy and the birth of the Republic, a theme of political and personal transformation that resonated with the intellectual circles of the Haarlem Mannerists.