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The Assassination of the Emperor Vitellius
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
On the banks of the Tiber, three assailants stab the Roman emperor Vitellius, a major protagonist in the struggle for succession after Nero's death. He had been declared emperor by his troops but was defeated by Vespasian, whose own army had declared him emperor. Humiliated and ridiculed for his cowardliness and gluttony, Vitellius lost his kingdom to Vespasian, who exemplified the virtues of the ancient Romans: chastity, sobriety, courage, and wisdom. Vitellius was eventually stabbed almost to the point of death, dragged in great pain "like a stinking dog," and tossed into the river Tiber.
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