A poem reflecting on Gerard David's The Judgment of Cambyses (1498). Oil on wood, 159 x 182 cm; Groeninge Museum, Bruges.
The subject of the painting is taken from Herodotus: 'the judge Sisamnes, who had been guilty of prevarication, was arrested and punished by Cambyses, the King of Persia. For his crimes, Sisamnes was condemned to be flayed alive.'
Source: Web Gallery of Art, http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/d/david/1/cambyse1.html
Sighted: 10/10/2005