Getty Museum
Athaliah, Queen of Judah, Dragged from the Temple
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
Two men seize a woman by the hair, pulling her forward while a third man watches from behind. The woman is Athaliah, the daughter of King Ahab of Israel and his wife Jezebel. Her family married her to the heir of the throne of Judah in order to link the two Hebrew kingdoms more closely. When Athaliah's husband as well as her oldest son died, she ordered that all other royal offspring should be killed and seized the throne of Judah for herself. Unknown to her, her grandson was saved and raised in the Temple. When he reached seven years of age, he was secretly crowned king. Athaliah rushed to the Temple crying treason, but the royal guards seized her and killed her. In the image, two guards ruthlessly drag Athaliah from the Temple while the new king, shown here as a grown man, watches from above. Athaliah was the only woman ever to rule either of the two Hebrew kingdoms.
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