(Florence 1596–1657)
The Death of Cleopatra,
oil on canvas, 77 x 63 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private collection, Southern France;
sale, Sotheby’s, New York, 30 January 2020, lot 151 (as Cesare Dandini);
where acquired by the present owner

Literature:
S. Bellesi, Pittura e Scultura a Firenze (secoli XVI–XIX), Florence 2017, pp. 15–16, fig.14

Cesare Dandini was a key figure of the artistic production of seventeenth-century Florence. The present painting is a variation of another representation of The Death of Cleopatra by the artist in full-length (see S. Bellesi, Cesare Dandini, Turin 1996, p. 156–158, cat. no. 99). In comparison to the latter, this painting focuses on the upper body and head, skillfully condensing in the figure’s gestures and the strong facial expression of pathos that characterises Cleopatra’s death. Other autograph versions, that vary slightly from the present one, are currently in private collections (see op. cit. Bellesi, 1996, p. 158, cat. no. 100 and 101). Furthermore, the theatrical gesturing and expression Dandini gives to his Cleopatra allow to relate this composition to other works by the artist, in particular to his Lucretia, that is currently part of the Luzzetti collection (see op. cit. Bellesi, 1996, pp. 159–160, no. 103).

With her head bent back, the Egyptian queen looks up in despair. Her left hand is clenched in a tight fist around the poisonous cobra that she holds to her exposed left breast, determined to follow her lover Mark Antony to death. The composition impresses by its brilliant colours: From the snake’s bite, small drops of red blood run down the white skin, tying in with the velvety drape in the background. The precious fabrics of Cleopatra’s clothes and jewelry contrast in rich shades of gold and blue.