Irene of Athens Being Banished to a Convent

From the Getty Museum record

Irene of Athens is shown twice in this image; first, she appears on a ship as it nears the shores of Lesbos, and second, she greets a group of nuns as she makes her entrance to her new home. Irene had ruled the Byzantine Empire from its capital in Constantinople with her son Constantine VI, but after Constantine tried to remove her from their joint rulership, Irene seized control. Her power did not last, and after five years her son returned and had her exiled to the Eleutherian Palace. Later, she regained some power, but shortly thereafter the rebel Nicephorus banished her to the island of Lesbos. In another iteration of the story, Irene was forced into a convent, where she eventually died. The artist has chosen here to combine the two versions.