
Getty Museum
The Murder of Olympias, the Queen of Macedonia
- Date
- about 1450–1475, illumination added about 1515–1520
- Medium
- Tempera colors, gold, and ink
- Culture
- French
- Department
- Manuscripts
- Institution
- Getty Museum
- Object ID
- b18a3a67-31fd-4fcc-ad1a-323bdd866961
From the Getty Museum record
Olympias, the mother of Alexander the Great, willingly presented herself to her executioners. The queen of Macedonia had previously been suspected of adultery, which called into question the parentage of her son and led her husband Philip to take a second (albeit illegitimate) wife. This spurred Olympias to have her husband assassinated and led to a series of other murders executed under her orders. Olympias was eventually imprisoned and the relatives whose families Olympias had murdered sent assassins to her jail cell. Refusing to die in an undignified manner, Olympias neatly arranged her hair and clothes before volunteering herself to her murderers. Here, her elegant hat and golden overtunic emphasize her high station and sense of fashion.
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