Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Condemned Prisoners

Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Condemned Prisoners (Cléopâtre essayant des poisons sur des condamnés à mort) is an 1887 painting by the French artist Alexandre Cabanel. It is held by the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.[1] It shows Cleopatra VII reclining on a banquette and observing the effects of poisons on prisoners condemned to death, as described in Mark Antony's Plutarch's Lives.[2] It is considered a canonical work of 19th-century orientalism[3] and has been used as a model for plays and early films.[4]

Study for the painting

Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Condemned Prisoners
ArtistAlexandre Cabanel
Year1887
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions165 cm × 290 cm (65 in × 110 in)
LocationRoyal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp

Cabanel had always had a taste for historical and orientalist themes and when the painting was first seen by the Parisian public he was feted by the critics and showered with honours. Several international collectors attempted to buy the painting.

References
  1. "Cléopâtre essayant des poisons sur des condamnés à mort". Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  2. Ussher, James; Pierce, Larry; Pierce, Marion (2003). The Annals of the World. New Leaf Publishing Group. p. 741. ISBN 9780890513606. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  3. Hosford, Desmond; Wojtkowski, Chong J. (2010). French Orientalism: Culture, Politics, and the Imagined Other. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 44. ISBN 9781443823449. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  4. Morcillo, Marta Garcia; Hanesworth, Pauline; Marchena, Óscar Lapeña (2015). Imagining Ancient Cities in Film: From Babylon to Cinecittà. Routledge. p. 118. ISBN 9781135013172. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
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