The Head of Cyrus brought to Queen Tomyris
Medium
Etching; proof
Dimensions
Image: 5 3/8 × 8 1/4 in. (13.6 × 20.9 cm) Sheet: 8 9/16 × 11 11/16 in. (21.7 × 29.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1960
Accession Number
60.622.34
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the dramatic etching *The Head of Cyrus brought to Queen Tomyris*, created between 1785 and 1789, Antoine Jean Duclos faithfully reproduces a composition by the Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens. This proof impression captures a pivotal moment from ancient history: the triumphant Queen Tomyris of the Massagetae receiving the severed head of Persian king Cyrus the Great, held aloft by soldiers. The scene pulses with Rubens' signature energy—swirling figures, expressive faces, and a sense of raw vengeance—rendered in intricate lines on a modest 5 3/8 × 8 1/4-inch plate. The subject draws from...
About the Artist
Peter Paul Rubens|Antoine Jean Duclos · 1577–1640
Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) stands as the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition and the greatest exponent of Baroque painting's dynamism, vitality, and sensuous exuberance. Born in Siegen, Westphalia, and raised in Antwerp, Rubens received a humanist education studying Latin and classical literature before pursuing artistic training under three masters: Tobias Verhaecht, Adam ...