Christie's London, 11 December 1979, lot 121 (as English and attributed to Grinling Gibbons);
With Huntington Antiques, Ltd., 1995

Geoffrey Beard, The Work of Grinling Gibbons, London, 1989, p. 17

General surface abrasions, chipping, small losses, and some worming throughout. Stable age cracks including one horizontal crack through upper half of relief. Some losses and small restorations include, from left to right: around halberds in upper left corner, soldier's hands holding spear, feathers on cap of figure to his right as well as tip of his sword, sword suspended from chain on foreground figure, small loss to fur collar of turbaned figure, restoration to proper right foot and shin of kneeling figure, head and wrist of central armored figure, some fingers on the queen's proper left hand and some fingers to proper right hand of far right figure. Standing foreground figure on left side (facing right) has been re-attached as has the basin. Portion of foreground on left side was restored. Overall stable condition, very good quality. Relief was mounted on pine backing for stabilization.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This composition is derived from Rubens’ painting of the same subject of around 1623, now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The present relief is reversed, suggesting the wood carver’s source was not the original painting but one of several engravings of this famous canvas by Paulus Pontius (1603-1658) of Antwerp.
The original attribution to Grinling Gibbons, the Dutch artist who worked in England and who eventually became known as “the King’s carver," was based on stylistic comparisons with his early bas relief of the Crucifixion after Tintoretto, later engraved by Agostino Carracci. A relief by Gibbons of King David Playing His Harp from the Collection of A. Alfred Taubman sold in these rooms on 27 January 2016, lot 17 and was carved after an engraving by Sadeler, based on a painting by Peter de Witt. 
Beard (op. cit., p. 17) cites other reliefs previously ascribed to Gibbons such as The Last Supper at Burghley House, where Gibbons worked extensively on the interior decoration, and a large relief of the Battle of the Amazons at Warwick Castle, copied after another Rubens canvas. The existence of these panels underscores the sculptor’s use of engravings as the basis for some of his early compositions.
The scene represented is from Herodotus: Cyrus, King of the Persians, attempted to woo the Queen of the Massegetae, Tomyris, in order to acquire their territory. The Queen, aware of Cyrus’ intentions toward her people, shunned him. Cyrus’s army then captured her son, who took his own life, and the Queen pledged to give Cyrus his “fill of blood” when the moment was right. After a lengthy battle, the Massegetae were victorious, Cyrus was slain and Tomyris immersed his head in blood as she had pledged to do.

RELATED LITERATURE
David Esterly, Grinling Gibbons and the Art of Carving, Victoria & Albert Publications, London, 1998