Queen Tomyris and the Head of Cyrus

after Sir Peter Paul Rubens (Siegen 1577 - Antwerp 1640). Oil painting on paper laid down on canvas. Queen Tomyris and the Head of Cyrus/ Head of Cyrus brought to Queen Tomyris, after Peter Paul Rubens (Siegen 1577 – Antwerp 1640), 19th century. The gruesome subject is Queen Tomyris's revenge on Cyrus the Great of Persia for having defeated her son by trickery and causing him to commit suicide. The Queen stands to the left looking at the head held over a bowl of blood. This is a late copy of the picture which was formerly in the collection of Lord Darnley and is now at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. There is a possibility that there may once have been a large version of the subject at Attingham. The evidence for this is the purchase price of £100 and the sentence in a letter of 8 May 1824 from William Hill to his brother Lord Berwick to the effect that in Woodburn's opinion the Rubens is better than Lord Darnley's. Attingham Park, Shropshire (Accredited Museum)