''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. It shows

Cleopatra VII Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

reclining on a banquette and observing the effects of poisons on prisoners condemned to death, as described in Mark Antony's '' Plutarch's Lives''. It is considered a canonical work of 19th-century

orientalism In art history, literature and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects in the Eastern world. These depictions are usually done by writers, designers, and artists from the Western world. In particular, Orientalist p ...

and has been used as a model for plays and early films. Cabanel had always had a taste for historical and orientalist themes and when the painting was first seen by the Parisian public he was fêted by the critics and showered with honours. Several international collectors attempted to buy the painting.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Condemned Prisoners 1887 paintings Paintings in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Paintings depicting Cleopatra Deaths by poisoning Paintings by Alexandre Cabanel Paintings based on works by Plutarch Paintings about death Cats in art