Queen Tomyris with the Head of Cyrus

This is one of the earliest known engraved glasses from Nuremberg. It is also the only known piece signed by Hans Wessler, a goldsmith and the first of that city’s glass engravers. The plaque depicts Queen Thomyris with the severed head of Cyrus the Great, king of Persia in the sixth century B.C. Her story is related by the Greek historian Herodotus. Cyrus attempted to conquer the Massagetae in Central Asia, who were ruled by Thomyris. Although her son’s forces fell victim to a trap set by Cyrus, her troops ultimately routed the Persians and killed Cyrus. In Western art, the revenge of Thomyris represents the victory of good over evil. The plaque shown here was based on a copper engraving of 1530 made by Georg Pencz (about 1500-1550) in Nuremberg.