Cimon and Pero

This type of image is called Roman Charity. It is based on a story related by Valerius Maximus, who was active the second to fourth decades C.E. Cimon was a man imprisoned and condemned to death by starvation. His adult daughter saved his life by secretly breastfeeding him. This act was considered an honorable expression of the greatest love for one’s elders. The vertical German inscription may be translated as “I live from the breast of my daughter.”