Caecina Paetus, and his wife Arria

Frankrijk 18de eeuw

The Roman senator Caecina Paetus was condemned to death for his involvement in a conspiracy against the Emperor Claudius in AD 42. In order to give him courage, his wife Arria first stabbed herself, then passed the dagger to Paetus saying “Paete, non dolet” (“Paetus, it does not hurt”). There were very few representations of this famous act, recounted by the Latin authors Pliny the Younger (c. AD 61-c. AD 114), Martial (c. AD 40-c. AD 104), Tacitus (c. AD 55-c. AD 120), and Dio Cassius (c. AD 155-c. AD 235)