16th Century Flemish Historical Tapestry, with the Victory of Tomyris

Subject: Cyrus the Great’s massive Persian army initially defeated Tomyris’ forces when the Massagetae were drunk and caught off-guard, leading to the capture of Tomyris’ son and the general of her forces, Spargapises. After her son’s suicide while in the hands of the Persian army, Tomyris challenged Cyrus to another battle, and in the second encounter, her Massagetae upended Cyrus’ army, leading to this climactic scene in which she stands victorious. Having defeated Cyrus the Great, Tomyris is reputed to have said, “I warned you that I would quench your thirst for blood, and so I shall.”

History & Provenance: The This tapestry is part of a series of tapestries detailing The Story of Cyrus the Great, appearing in the Spanish Royal Collection in the Palacio de Aranjuez. The cartoons for this tapestry have been convincingly attributed to Maerten van Heemskerck (1498-1574), a Flemish painter of the Roman School.

Hanging: The tapestry comes ready for hanging, with linen backing and a strip of hook and loop tape at the top end, which can be connected to the opposite side of the supplied hook and loop tape, which could be tacked to your wall. For those who prefer the use of a tapestry rod, we can add the appropriate size loops to accommodate your needs.