Herophile, the Sibyl of Eritrea, Augering the Future

From the Getty Museum record

The sibyl Herophile, whose intellect and prophetic acumen Boccaccio esteemed so highly in *Concerning Famous and Noble Women* that he compared her to the biblical prophets and evangelists, stands outside a Roman-style villa. Herophile gestures to the sky, perhaps pointing to an unseen bird as she performs an ancient version of augury and holds a curled scroll in her right hand. The prophetess is said to have accurately predicted the fall of Troy, various deeds of the Roman Empire, and, most importantly for Boccaccio, events significant to Christian theology—the birth of Christ, his death, Resurrection, Ascension, and, finally, the Last Judgment. Unfortunately, this painting was damaged at some point before being acquired by Getty, obscuring the details of Herophile’s image.