The Head of Cyrus being Presented to Queen Tomyris
by HOET, Gerard I, Oil on canvas, 54 x 64 cm
Tomyris was the queen of nomadic people Massagetae in central Asia in ancient times. According to Herodotus (1:214), Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian empire, met his death in battle against her. The Queen demanded that the corpse of Cyrus be decapitated and the head be dipped in a sack of blood.
In this depiction by Gerard Hoet, Cyrus’s severed head is placed centrally and, drained of all colour, it is about to be plunged into the sack of blood on Tomyris’ command. The setting of the scene in a palace courtyard, beyond which are an Italianate sky and landscape, reflects the influence of Hoet’s teacher Cornelis van Poelenburgh.