Scythian envoys to King Darius of Persia
Date: 1786 ; Lithuania , Lithuania in terms of modern geography
Art form: Painting
Dimensions: 147 X 184 cm (57.87 X 72.44 in)
Scythian envoys to King Darius of Persia. In the scene of the reception of the Scythian envoys, P. Smuglevičius depicted the episode of the unsuccessful campaign of the Persian King Darius I (522-485 BC) to the Scythian lands. The Scythian herald, who comes to Darius, presents the king with a bird, a mouse, a frog and five arrows, telling the Persians to find out the meaning of the gifts for themselves. The king, seated on the throne, looks thoughtfully at the gifts. The courtiers gathered behind the King are thinking with equal intensity. Darius believes that the gifts mean that the Scythians are surrendering to the Persians with land and water. Gobryas, one of the seven men who overthrew the magician, has a very different view. According to him, the gifts proclaim: "O Persians, if you do not fly like birds into the sky, or like mice into the earth, or like frogs into the water, you will not return home, for you will be pierced by these arrows". The artist delights in the use of late Baroque effects: oriental colouring, rich textures of exotic clothing, carpets and draperies, armour and weapons. Described by Dalia Tarandaitė.
Oil on canvas, 147 x 184. Exhibit of the Lithuanian Art Museum.
