Getty Museum
Xerxes, King of the Persians, Crosses a Bridge with His Army
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 bridge shown here resembles one that the artist might have seen spanning the Seine in Paris during the 1400s, the Boucicaut Master meant to represent the immense bridge that Xerxes I, the great Persian king, constructed to facilitate his invasion of Greece in 480 B.C. Of positively gigantic size, the bridge linked Asia Minor with Europe, and the entire Persian army--a million men--crossed it on foot. The author Boccaccio reported that soldiers sliced mountains and filled valleys in constructing their path, but he did not state exactly how the bridge was made. Historians today believe Xerxes' incredible bridge was actually made of ships linked together.
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