Cleopatra killing herself
XVII century. Oil on canvas.On display elsewhere
In Parallel Lives, Plutarch describes the end of the life of Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt. Married to Mark Antony, who had taken control of the eastern part of Roman territory as part of the Second Triumvirate (43–38 BCE), she posed a political threat to the Empire for Octavian. He reported to the Senate that this union would pose a risk, as he thought that Mark Antony would play a submissive role to Cleopatra. Her ambitions would compromise the territorial integrity, which would lead them to engage in a battle from which Octavian would emerge victorious. After her husband’s death, and to avoid being displayed in Rome as a war trophy, Cleopatra decided to take her own life with the poison of an asp. Both the courage and noble pride she displayed in this episode, along with the myth of her beauty, made her become an exempla virtutis in a process analogous to that of other historical heroines, such as Judith and Lucretia. In addition to the similar way of putting an end to their lives, both Lucretia and Cleopatra have in common that they were the protagonists of stories linked to a relevant political event for Rome, since with the fall of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Egypt would lose its independence and become a Roman province.
Cleopatra’s death would be widely disseminated in literary and artistic works as a reflection of those virtues, and representations of it were commonly found in European collections in the Modern Era. Although sources do not provide any specific detail on her suicide, an erotic image of the semi-naked sovereign letting herself be bitten by the snake – which is usually located on her breast and biting close to the nipple, as in this painting – has been disseminated. With the decorum imposed after the Council of Trent, artists resorted to this type of episode in order to depict nudes without being censored. These scenes were also largely demanded by collectors. There are no records on whether the tragic event took place in her tomb or in the palace, yet the most popular versions place her in a drawing room, surrounded by draperies and other objects that indicate the luxury associated with her status as queen. This painting, attributed to Andrea Vaccaro, reveals the elements common to this iconography, including the basket of fruit and the ostentatious attire and jewels that adorn her. The painter depicted Cleopatra in a highly theatrical pose, leaning back in a chair with one arm resting on the table and one foot on a footstool. She opens her dress with one hand and with the other she brings the asp close to her skin. The drama is emphasised by the position of her head, staring towards infinity, and the containment of any feelings, thus emphasising her pride. Conversely, the eroticism is heightened in this painting, since her feet are exposed and the shape of her legs is hinted at beneath her weighty attire.
This composition is reminiscent of those created by artists of the Bolognese school in the first half of the 17th century. However, its style places its creation in the workshop of a Neapolitan painter. The blend of both characteristics has led to the attribution of this canvas to Andrea Vaccaro since at least 1746, when it was first registered in the palace of La Granja from the collection of Isabella Farnese. There, at the end of that century, it was seen by both Antonio Ponz and Antonio Conca, who agreed to attribute it to that artist. It survived until the 20th century without its authorship being questioned by critics, when Pérez Sánchez pointed out that this canvas might be closer to the style of Francesco Guarino (1611–1654). Xavier de Salas, as per H. Voss, also doubted this and, as a result, in the 1972 and 1990 catalogues of the Museo del Prado’s paintings it appears with an uncertain attribution to Vaccaro. Nevertheless, it is currently once again considered to be by this Neapolitan painter with great certainty.
Japón, Rafael, 'Andrea Vaccaro. Cleopatra dándose muerte' En: El factor Prado: los depósitos del Museo Nacional del Prado., Museo de Bellas Artes de Asturias,, 2022, p.58-61 nº 10
