Pompeia Paulina Attempting Suicide

From the Getty Museum record

After her husband Seneca was forced by the emperor Nero to choose the manner of his own death, Pompeia Paulina decided to follow him to the grave by slicing open her veins. Yet, the emperor, here shown seated on his throne, did not want Pompeia to die for her husband’s guilt, and so had her bleeding stopped. According to the myth, Pompeia had been so close to dying that she forever more had the white pallor of death. In this image, Pompeia’s arms bleed from her self-inflicted wounds, her white pallor evident, while a man leans over, seemingly slicing her neck as her husband is led away by a soldier and courtier. This detail is not included in the text and possibly indicates a misunderstanding on the part of the illuminator. Yet, at the same time, before Pompeia lies the bowl of warm water that she stepped in while opening her veins, showing a close reading of at least some of the textual details by the artist.