A 16th-century painting depicts the flaying of a corrupt judge.
A 16th-century painting depicts the skinning alive of a corrupt judge, Sisamnes, in the year 500 BC. Sisamnes was a royal judge in Persia during the reign of Cambyses II. He was discovered to have taken a bribe and passed an unfair judgment. As a result, the king ordered that he be arrested and skinned alive.
Before passing judgment, the king asked Sisamnes who he wished to nominate as his successor. In his greed, Sisamnes chose his son, Otanes. The king agreed and appointed Otanes to replace his father.
The king then ordered that Sisamnes's skin be used to upholster the seat on which the new judge would sit in court. This was to remind Otanes of the potential consequences of corruption. Otanes, in his deliberations, was forced to always remember that he was sitting on the skin of his executed father. This helped to ensure fairness and equity in all his hearings, deliberations, and sentences.
The painting is a powerful reminder of the importance of justice and the consequences of corruption. It is also a testament to the power of a king to enforce his will, even in the most brutal of ways.
