Candaules was a king of the ancient Kingdom of Lydia in the early years of the 7th century BC.

Piqued by his courtier's incredulity, the king invited Gyges to see his wife's beauty with his own eyes when she was going to bed at night.

Gyges killed the king and seized the throne, taking the widowed queen as his wife.

[1] The painting shows the moment when the king and Gyges watch from behind a curtain how the naked queen is going to bed.

[1] The work was painted by Jordaens in Antwerp and delivered to the collector Martinus van Langenhoven in 1646.