3-041-215 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Jugurtha, King of Numidia, Thrown from His Roman Prison into the Tiber; Des cas des nobles hommes et femmes, about 1413-1415. Additional Info: Although the author Boccaccio seemed unsure of the ultimate fate of Jugurtha, son of a Numidian prince and a concubine, he stated that some historians believed he was killed at night and tossed from the Tarpeian Rock into the Tiber River tied to a stone. In this miniature, however, Jugurtha is thrown from a tower, rather than from a rock. Jugurtha was excluded from the line of succession by his grandfather's will, but his father raised him in the palace with his half-brothers the princes. Having proved his valor in military exploits, he was accepted as a legitimate heir to the throne and inherited a third of the kingdom. Greedy for the entire kingdom, he murdered his brothers to inherit their portions. His covetous nature, however, eventually led to his downfall. His own father-in-law recognized his ruthless nature and handed him over to the Romans, who took him as a captive and had him killed.