Emperor Heraclius Slays the King of Persia
c. 1470
Medium
Tempera and oil on panel
Dimensions
67.6 × 54.2 cm (26 5/8 × 21 5/16 in.)
Classification
painting
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
111608
Art Historical Context
This dynamic panel painting captures a legendary clash from the seventh century, when Byzantine Emperor Heraclius defeated the Sasanian ruler Khosrow II. Created around 1470 by an unknown Netherlandish artist the work transforms ancient history into a vivid moral drama for fifteenth-century viewers. The compact scale—roughly the size of a large book—suggests it may have been intended for private devotion or as part of a larger altarpiece cycle recounting Heraclius’s victories and the recovery of the True Cross. Executed in tempera and oil on panel, the painting reflects the technical innovati...