Cleopatra,
oil on canvas, 101.5 x 83 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private collection, Naples

The present painting was executed in seventeenth-century Naples by an artist who was influenced by Massimo Stanzione (1585-1656). The brilliant whiteness of the flesh tones are typical traits of Stanzione’s art, which can be seen in his Cleopatra in the Hermitage Museum (inv. no. ГЭ-10030). This work can also be compared to the paintings by Giuseppe Marullo (circa 1615–1685), an artist from the circle of Stanzione, who executed a similar Cleopatra now in a private collection. These works are similar in the soft line of the contours of the figure and for the cromatic use of colour.

The representation of the half-length dying Cleopatra was a popular theme during the seventeenth-century. The subject offered drama, as well as a vehicle to show the female figure. Cleopatra was a popular subject for the depiction of sensuality and theatre of the event full of emotional potential. Her heroic act could also convey a moral message (see S. Urbini, Il mito di Cleopatra. Motivi ed esiti della sua rinnovata fortuna fra Rinascimento e Barocco, in: Xenia Antiqua, 1993, vol. 2,
pp. 202-215).

In the present painting Cleopatra is depicted half-length and seated. She slowly closes her eyes while abandoning herself to the death caused by the bite of an asp, which she still holds in her hand. The depth of the colour tones, particularly the blue of her clothing, give the composition a solemn elegance. Cleopatra occupies the whole foreground: she is the only protagonist of her drama that takes place inside a classical architecture.