Images Dated 4th June 2010

'Sophonisba', 1640s. Artist: Luca Ferrari

'Sophonisba', 1640s. Sophonisba was a Carthaginian noblewoman who was captured by the Romans late in the Second Punic War. She committed suicide by drinking poison in order to avoid the humiliation of being paraded through Rome as a captive in a triumphal procession. Her story inspired numerous visual, written and musical works of art from the 16th until the 19th century. Found in the collection of the State A Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow

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'The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple', c1650. Artist: Bernardo Cavallino

'The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple', c1650. This painting illustrates the biblical episode (2 Maccabees, 3:21-28) of the fate of Heliodorus, sent by Seleucus, King of Syria, to take the treasure preserved in the Temple of Jerusalem. At the request of the high priest Onias, God has Heliodorus beaten and banished from the Temple. Found in the collection of the State A Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow

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'Portrait of Tsar Peter III', 1762. Artist: Aleksei Petrovich Antropov

'Portrait of Tsar Peter III', 1762. Peter III (1728-1762) became Emperor of Russia on 5 January 1762. Six months later he was deposed in a coup d'etat and was succeeded by his wife, Catherine II. Peter died, probably killed by poisoning, while in the custody of Alexei Orlov, one of the conspirators. Found in the collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

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