Sujet
Polycrates Hanged; Des cas des nobles hommes et femmes, about 1413-1415. Creator: Boucicaut Master.
Légende
Polycrates Hanged; Des cas des nobles hommes et femmes, about 1413-1415. Additional Info: Polycrates, the tyrannous ruler of the Aegean island of Samos, stands beside the river into which he tossed a golden ring covered with precious stones, hoping to divert future bad luck. Boccaccio's story tells that he found the ring again in a fish's belly, but the artist or his adviser misinterpreted the story. Confusing the French word for ring, annel, with that for lamb, agnel, the Boucicaut Master painted the fish returning a lamb to Polycrates instead of his ring. Despite his luck with the ring, a dire fate awaited Polycrates. Seeking to capture the riches of Samos, the Persian governor of Sardis imprisoned Polycrates and had him executed. The artist contrasted Polycrates' hanging with the fortuitous return of the ring. These two scenes succinctly demonstrate the theme of the entire book: the vacillating nature of fortune.
Crédit
Photo12/Heritage Images/Heritage Art
Notre référence
HRM24A74_316
Model release
NA
Property release
NA
Licence
Droits gérés
Format disponible
84,7Mo (5,1Mo) / 37,5cm x 56,6cm / 4427 x 6685 (300dpi)