Getty Museum
Cleopatra Presented with the Head and Limbs of Her Own Child
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
Though the miniature's courtly elegance partly masks the horror of the narrative, Ptolemy Euergetes, king of Egypt, committed a horrendous act of vengeance against his queen, Cleopatra. After the death of his brother, Ptolemy married Cleopatra, his brother's widow. To avoid sharing power with her son, he had the child, who was both his nephew and stepson, murdered. The severed head and limbs in the image, however, belong not to this infant but to a second unfortunate child, also a victim of Ptolemy's wrath. Hearing of the king's crime against his wife's son, the people deposed him and selected Cleopatra as their ruler. In retaliation, Ptolemy had his own son, also born of Cleopatra, murdered and sent the child's severed head and limbs to her during a banquet.
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