The suicide of Cleopatra: Cleopatra lies on her bed clasping the tail of the asp that just bit her. Lithograph after Guido Reni.

  • Reni, Guido, 1575-1642.
Date:
1800-1899
Reference:
42943i
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view The suicide of Cleopatra: Cleopatra lies on her bed clasping the tail of the asp that just bit her. Lithograph after Guido Reni.

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Credit

The suicide of Cleopatra: Cleopatra lies on her bed clasping the tail of the asp that just bit her. Lithograph after Guido Reni. Wellcome Collection. Public Domain Mark. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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Description

Cleopatra VII (69 BC-30 BC), Egyptian Queen, lover of Julius Caesar and later the wife of Mark Antony. After the Roman armies of Octavian (the future Emperor Augustus) defeated their combined forces, Antony and Cleopatra killed themselves, and Egypt fell under Roman domination. Rather than be dragged through the city in which she had been borne as a queen, she killed herself, possibly by means of an asp, symbol of divine royalty.

Publication/Creation

Madrid : [publisher not identified] ([Madrid] : Imp.o en el Rl. Est.o litog.o de Madrid)

Physical description

1 print : lithograph ; image 30.8 x 26.2 cm

Lettering

Cleopatra. El cuadro original existe en Rl. Museo del Madrid. Guido Reni lo pinto. J. de Madrazo lo dirigo.

Reference

Wellcome Collection 42943i

Creator/production credits

Created and published under the direction of José de Madrazo as director of the royal lithographic establishment in Madrid

Type/Technique

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