"“Nydia threw herself at the feet of Stratonice” Book illustration for T"   Lot no. 19

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Book illustration for The Last Days of Pompeii by Edward Bulwer Lytton for the 1926 edition published by Charles Scribner’s Sons.

 

A hushed conversation between Calenus, the priest of Isis, and the disreputable gladiator Burbo comes to a halt when the young blind slave Nydia enters the room, escalating the tension. Pale yet resolute, Nydia bravely defies Burbo’s brutal threats, declaring her unwavering refusal to return to a sinister "unholy place.” Her desperate pleas are met with Calenus's ominous reminder of a binding oath, plunging her into visible terror.

 

The illustration depicts the pivotal scene of the arrival of Stratonice, Burbo's wife and Nydia's mistress. Observing Stratonice's evident displeasure at Burbo's treatment, Nydia seizes a fleeting moment of hope. In a desperate act, she throws herself at Stratonice's feet, clutching her knees and imploring her mistress’s compassion. With sightless yet deeply moving eyes, she appeals to Stratonice's shared womanhood, begging to be spared from the "horrible feasts." Stratonice initially dismisses her pleas, calling such scruples unsuitable for slaves. However, when Nydia persists in her refusal and even swears by the gods, Stratonice, enraged, violently grabs Nydia, first seemingly intending to strike her, but then cruelly seizing a rope to punish the defenseless blind girl, whose agonizing shrieks fill the house.

 

The full caption reads: “Nydia threw herself at the feet of Stratonice.”

 

Frederick Coffay Yohn (February 8, 1875-June 6, 1933), often recognized only by his initials, F. C. Yohn, was an artist and illustrator. His work appeared in publications including Scribner's Magazine, Harper's Magazine, and Collier's Weekly. Books he illustrated included Jack London's A Daughter of the Snows and Henry Cabot Lodge's Story of the American Revolution.

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ABOUT THE ARTIST

 

Frederick Coffay Yohn is most noted for his illustrations of historical and battle subjects. He did many reportorial paintings of the War with Spain in 1898, of both the Cuban and Philippine phases of the conflict. He also painted a fine series of historical illustrations to accompany Henry Cabot Lodge’s “The Story of the Revolution,” published by Scribner’s magazine. His painting of the Surrender of Fort Sackville to George Rogers Clark in 1779 was the subject of commemorative U.S. postage stamp in 1929.

   Yohn was born in Indianapolis, attended the Indianapolis Art School and the Art Students League in New York where he studied under H. Siddons Mowbray. At nineteen, he made his first illustrations for Harper’s periodicals. This was followed by a long career in illustration with most of the major magazines.

   Yohn was one of the founders of the Society of Illustrators, and a collection of his work is in the Cabinet of American Illustration at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.