Tomyris doopt hoofd van Cyrus in bloed 1539

This 1539 engraving by German artist Georg Pencz, titled "Tomyris doopt hoofd van Cyrus in bloed," depicts the legendary Queen Tomyris of the Massagetae dipping the severed head of the Persian King Cyrus the Great in a bucket of blood. The scene is drawn from Herodotus' *Histories*, where Tomyris, seeking revenge for the death of her son, fulfills her vow by plunging Cyrus' head into a bucket of blood. The artwork is an example of the High Renaissance style, with an emphasis on dramatic and emotive expression. It is currently housed in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.