Cyrus Defeats Spargapises from The Story of Cyrus
c. 1670
Medium
Wool and silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave Warp: Count: 7 warps per cm; wool: S-ply of two Z-spun elements; diameters: 0.7–0.8 mm Weft: Count: varies from 18 to 30 wefts per cm; wool: S-ply of two Z-spun elements; diameters: 0.45–1.0 mm; silk: pairs of S-ply of two Z-twisted elements; diameters: 0.4–0.55 mm
Dimensions
384.8 × 412.1 cm (151 1/2 × 162 1/4 in.)
Classification
weaving - tapestry
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
151988
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This tapestry is from a late-17th-century series derived from the earlier compositions of the Renaissance painter and designer Michiel Coxie. The Latin inscription in a cartouche in the upper border identified the subject as Cyrus the Great defeating the Scythians. This refers to an episode toward the end of Cyrus's extraordinary career when he attacked the land ruled by Queen Tomyris near the Caspian Sea. As recounted by Greek historians such as Herodotus, the Persian ruler lured the queen's so...