Getty Museum
Agathocles Orders His Wife and Children to Flee to Egypt
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
With tear-filled eyes, the bedridden Agathocles, king of Sicily, orders his wife to leave him and return to Egypt with their two children. Despite his earlier struggles to reach the throne, a true rags-to-riches story, he nobly cried not for the loss of his kingdom but for his family. Though born the son of a potter, Agathocles had used his charm, political savvy, and ruthlessness to become tyrant of Syracuse and self-styled king of Sicily. When he suffered a painful and debilitating illness during a struggle against Carthage, he was concerned that his family would be murdered, imprisoned, or enslaved in a struggle of succession for the throne after his death.
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