Artwork
Roundel with the Blinding of Zaleucus of Locria
Roundel with the Blinding of Zaleucus of Locria is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1510 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work is a circular panel depicting a courtyard scene in which a group of four men is gathered around a central, dramatic episode.
About this work
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil on a wooden panel support, a technique common in early 16th-century Italian and Flemish painting.
The roundel is an oil painting on wood panel, created circa 1510, likely in Italy. It depicts the classical subject of the blinding of Zaleucus of Locria, the legendary Locrian lawgiver who, by his own law, blinded himself in one eye to spare his son from the full penalty. The composition emphasises the central soldier's gesture, while the surrounding figures frame the narrative.
The work is executed in oil on a wooden panel support, a technique common in early 16th-century Italian and Flemish painting.
History & Provenance
The Roundel with the Blinding of Zaleucus of Locria is an anonymous painting created circa 1510. The piece is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. No specific details regarding the original commission, the identity of the artist, or the early ownership chain are provided in the available records.
Overview
The work is a circular panel depicting a courtyard scene in which a group of four men is gathered around a central, dramatic episode. An armored figure brandishes a sword toward a crowned individual who clutches his eyes in apparent agony, while two plainly dressed onlookers observe. A cat rests on the ground, and a servant bearing a basket appears in the background, all set against stone walls and a distant church tower.
Subject & Meaning
The narrative portrays the moment of the blinding of Zaleucus of Locria, a mythic punishment wherein a ruler is struck in the eyes. The composition emphasizes the violent act and the victim’s suffering, underscored by the onlookers’ passive presence, suggesting themes of authority, retribution, and the vulnerability of power.
Context
Depictions of punitive myths were common in European art as moralizing devices, often displayed in domestic or public spaces to convey lessons about justice. The inclusion of everyday details, a cat, a servant with a basket, grounds the myth in a familiar environment, reflecting a trend toward integrating narrative with quotidian realism.
Artist & collection
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