According to Herodotus

Herodotus

Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...

, Sisamnes was a corrupt judge under Cambyses II of Persia

Cambyses II of Persia

Cambyses II son of Cyrus the Great , was a king of kings of the Achaemenid Empire. Cambyses's grandfather was Cambyses I, king of Anshan. Following Cyrus the Great's conquest of the Near East and Central Asia, Cambyses II further expanded the empire into Egypt during the Late Period by defeating...

. He accepted a bribe and delivered an unjust verdict. As a result, the king

Monarch

A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...

 had him arrested and flayed

Flaying

Flaying is the removal of skin from the body. Generally, an attempt is made to keep the removed portion of skin intact.-Scope:An animal may be flayed in preparation for human consumption, or for its hide or fur; this is more commonly called skinning....

 alive. His skin was then used to cover the seat in which his son would sit in judgment.

Sisamnes was the subject of two paintings by Gerard David

Gerard David

Gerard David was an Early Netherlandish painter and manuscript illuminator known for his brilliant use of color.-Life:...

, "The Arrest of Sisamnes" and "Flaying of Sisamnes" both done in 1498. Together they make up the Judgment of Cambyses diptych, which was commissioned to hang in the Aldermen's Room in the Bruges

Bruges

Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....

City Hall. (Historical images of judgment were commonly used to decorate chambers of justice in 15th century Europe.)