Teheuti
I have a feeling that the card refers not to the Trojan Polyxena but to a later Christian Polyxena (see her story at bottom).DoctorArcanus said:A most interesting feature of that Sola Busca card is the snake coming out of the cup (see this image of the original in color). I think this detail has been discussed years ago in some other thread.
Marco
PS: here you can find some information on the Homeric character of Polyxena.
First, the Trojan Polisena:
"Polyxena was the youngest daughter of Hecuba and King Priam of Troy. Homer never mentions Polyxena. Achilles fell in love with Polyxena whom he may have met when Polyxena and her brother Troilus went out to the fountatin where Achilles slew Troilus. One story has Polyxena pretending to fall in love with Achilles, learning about his heel, and betraying him to her brother Paris, who then shot and killed Achilles. Before he died, Achilles asked his followers to sacrifice Polyxena to him. Neoptolemus stabbed Polyxena to death.
There were Medieval and Renaissance versions of the story that may have contained a snake. Plus there's a snake in a version of the story that is on a vase from ca. 500 B.C. - 490 B.C.:
"Achilles and Polyxena at the fountain: Polyxena is walking right to a lion's-head spout above a rock that contains the fountain. A hydria is set under the spout to catch the water gushing out. It splashes onto Polyxena's hand before entering the container. On top of the fountain a crow is sitting, while a snake is lying alongside it. Behind the fountain rises a tree with leaves spreading left above the lion's head spout, and right above the head of crouching Achilles. Ready to ambush, he is largely hidden by his shield, with his right leg extended beyond it."
Jane Ellen Harrison claimed that the snake in this story represented the Erinys.
However, this could be another Polyxena - one who figures in a story of Paul and the early Christian converts:
"And as Polyxena lay upon the couch she saw this dream, that a dragon, hideous in appearance, came and signified to her to come to him, and when she did not obey him to go to him, he came running and swallowed her. From fear of this the girl leapt up trembling, and Xanthippe running to her said, What has happened to you, dearest, that you have leapt up thus suddenly? She for a long time was unable to speak; then coming to herself she said, Alas, my sister Xanthippe, what danger or tribulation awaits me, I know not; for I saw in my dream that a hideous dragon came and signed to me to go to him, and, when I would not go, he came running and swallowed me, beginning at my feet. While I was terrified at this, there suddenly spoke out of the air, in the light of the sun, a beautiful youth, whom I thought to be the brother of Paul, saying, Verily, you have no power. Who also took me by the hand and straightway drew me out of him, and straightway the dragon disappeared. And behold his hand was full of sweet odour as of balsam or anything else for fragrance. Xanthippe said to her, Truly you must be greatly troubled, my sister Polyxena, but God has you dear, seeing that he has shown you strange and marvellous things. Therefore arise quickly in the morning and receive the holy baptism, and ask in the baptism to be delivered from the snares of the dragon."
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1008.htm
Ultimately Polyxena becomes Christian and protects her virginity from the evil idolaters who try to despoil her. She goes through many such tribulations including being thrown to wild beasts and into the sea but is always saved by God. The story ends with her returning repentant to Paul, and "From that time forward she left not at all the blessed Paul in her fear of temptations."
The serpent could, of course, signify those temptations and tribulations from which God has saved her - including idolatry.