3-035-546 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Death of Cleopatra, about 1700-1710. Additional Info: Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, partially clad in an opulent blue and gold embroidered gown, sprawls across a sumptuous bed at the center of a splendid palace decorated with reliefs and marble statues. She has expired from the poisonous bite of an asp hidden in a basket of figs, thus thwarting Caesar's plans for her. Her attendant Iras lies dead in the foreground. Another maid, Charmion, makes final adjustments to Cleopatra’s diadem. The soldiers sent by Caesar to confirm Cleopatra's death surround the bed, while palace officials, serving women and others rush into the chamber, their stricken faces and animated gestures conveying their agitation. The enormous tomb of Cleopatra's lover, the Roman soldier and politician Mark Anthony, occupies the left side of the composition.