Getty Museum
Mithradates Triumphs at a Tournament
Creator
Boucicaut MasterFrench Illuminator · 1390–1430
All works by this person →In the early 1400s, the Boucicaut Master was the leading master of manuscript illumination in Paris and one of the most influential artists working in the International style in northern Europe. The Boucicaut Master appears to have supervised a talented team of artists who produced manuscripts commissioned by the king of France, high-ranking aristocrats, and the wealthy bourgeoisie. He probably al
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- about 1413–1415
- Medium
- Tempera colors, gold leaf, gold paint, and ink
- Culture
- French
- Department
- Manuscripts
- Institution
- Getty Museum
The figure wielding the sword and wearing a king's crown over a red hat may be Mithradates, the king of Pontus and Asia, participating in a tournament during the years he spent traveling around Asia as a young man. Disguising his identity, he lived among the locals, captured animals for food, and developed his courage and physical strength. The miniature, however, may allude to King Mithradates' death. Following a series of disastrous wars with the Romans, his own army revolted against him. After poisoning his wives, concubines, and daughters to prevent them falling into the hands of his enemies, he poisoned himself. But since he had previously taken a remedy against the drug, it proved ineffective. In a desperate attempt to end his life, he begged a French soldier, probably a mercenary, to kill him. This image, then, may depict Mithradates' assisted suicide.
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