Vassallo, Antonio Maria. 1620-c. 1664
Childhood of King Cyrus, Italy, 1640s – 1650s
Herodotus reports that Cyrus’ parents spread a rumor that he was raised by a dog. We see this legend reflected in the painting.

The biography of Cyrus is known mainly from Herodotus’s “History”. Some useful information can also be gleaned from the ancient Greek historian Ctesias, who lived at the Persian court in the 5th century BC. Cyrus was the son of Cambyses I of the Achaemenid dynasty, founded by the legendary Achaemenians, the leading clan of the Persian Pasargadae tribe. The exact year of Cyrus’s birth is unknown, but it is believed that he was born between 600 and 590 BC, most likely in 593 BC. His childhood and youth are known only from legends, which often contradict each other.

The Greek historian Xenophon also writes that already in the 5th century BC, the life of Cyrus the Great was told differently. According to Herodotus, Cyrus’ mother was the daughter of the Median king Astyages (Ishtuvegu) Mandana, who was predicted to give birth to a son who would become the ruler of the world. To avoid this, Astyages married his daughter to a Persian, not a Median, but still fearing that his grandson would become king in his place, he then summoned the pregnant Mandana from Persia and after some time, when she gave birth to a son, decided to destroy him.

He assigned this task to his dignitary Harpagus. In turn, Harpagus handed the child over to a shepherd, one of Astyages’ slaves, and ordered him to be left in the mountains, where there were many wild animals. But when the shepherd brought the baby to his hut, he learned that his wife had just given birth to a stillborn child. The parents decided to raise the king’s son as their own, and left the dead child in a secluded place in the mountains, dressed in the luxurious clothes of Astyages’ grandson. After this, the shepherd reported to Harpagus that he had carried out his order. Harpagus, having sent trusted people to examine the baby’s corpse and bury it, was convinced that this was indeed so. Thus, Cyrus spent his childhood among the king’s slaves

Author: Vassallo, Antonio Maria. 1620-c. 1664

School: Genoa

Title: Childhood of King Cyrus

Place of creation: Italy

Time of creation: 1640s – 1650s

Material: canvas

Technique: oil

Dimensions: 74.5 x 110 cm

Acquisition: Acquired in 1779. Acquired from the collection of R. Walpole at Houghton Hall Castle (England)

Category: Painting

Section of the Hermitage collection: European fine art

Collection: Italian painting of the 13th-18th centuries