Betrayed Husband. Miniature. 19th century. Gouache on ivory panel

Usually, for understandable reasons, erotic miniatures are limited to two figures. But in some cases, there are three. The third figure is usually someone who has peeped into the room by accident, e.g. the shocked husband. The viewer can identify with the onlooker.
However, in this case, the third figure is sleeping and does not suspect that his wife is allowing her lover to touch her breast through the window. Since the man’s mouth is about to touch her nipple, this is reminiscent of a scene often depicted in historical paintings. The scene is based on events recorded by the Roman historian Valerius Maximus, according to whom the Roman Pero breastfed her father Cimon, who had been sentenced to death by starvation, thereby saving him. Another reference to this story is the window grate, which resembles prison bars. However, instead of the noble Pero, the miniature actually depicts an adulteress, thereby intensifying the excitement of the contemporary viewer.