2-746-269 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Tomyris with the Head of Cyrus, c. 1637-1638. This subject is oddly related to that seen on the other side of the sheet: both feature a severed head, the result of an act of revenge by a powerful woman. The story of Queen Tomyris is a rare one in northern European art. Tomyris ruled a central Asian tribe and her son died while held captive by Cyrus, the king of Persia. Years later, Tomyris avenged her son's death when her armies defeated the Persians in battle and she found Cyrus's body and cut off the head. Rubens probably took the story from the ancient Greek historian Herodotus (about 484-425 BC).