''The Death of Cleopatra'' ( es, La muerte de Cleopatra), also known simply as ''Cleopatra'', is an 1881

oil painting Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on wood panel or canvas for several centuries, spreading from Europe to the rest of ...

on canvas by the Filipino painter

Juan Luna Juan Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta (, ; October 23, 1857 – December 7, 1899) was a Filipino painter, sculptor and a political activist of the Philippine Revolution during the late 19th century. He became one of the first recogni ...

, currently on display at the Museo del Prado in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Depicting the

death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

of Cleopatra, the last active ruler of Ancient Egypt, the painting was painted during Luna's stay in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, and later won a silver medal during the 1881 National Exposition of Fine Arts in Madrid, which was also his first art exposition. The painting, one of only three pieces by Filipino artists on permanent display at the Prado, is notable both for its composition and its history. Painted during a time of increased national consciousness, ''The Death of Cleopatra'' not only served as a representation of a colonized people standing up against their colonizer, but also brought to attention the ability of Filipino artists, and particularly Luna himself, to surpass their European contemporaries.

Description

''The Death of Cleopatra'' depicts Cleopatra moments after her death, with Luna taking inspiration for the painting's composition from

Plutarch Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for hi ...

's account of her life in his '' Parallel Lives'' series. Her corpse is found at the center of the painting, lying on a bed adorned with a golden headboard and covered with rich bedsheets, with the sheets themselves decorated with

hieroglyphs A hieroglyph (Greek for "sacred carvings") was a character of the ancient Egyptian writing system. Logographic scripts that are pictographic in form in a way reminiscent of ancient Egyptian are also sometimes called "hieroglyphs". In Neoplatonis ...

and the footboard similarly adorned in gold. Cleopatra herself is bejeweled and dressed in a manner befitting that of an Egyptian queen, and smoke coming from a nearby lamp, said to contain incense, hovering above her body signifies that she had died, giving the piece a mysterious aura. While Cleopatra is clothed, the cloth above her belt and around her breasts is transparent, playing into the popular concept of an "eroticized" Cleopatra that is common in other works of the era depicting her death. Two servants in various states of collapse are also present in the painting, with the first, Iras, already dead by Cleopatra's feet. The second, the dark-skinned

Charmion Laverie Vallee ''née'' Cooper (July 18, 1875 – February 6, 1949), best known by her stage name Charmion, was an American vaudeville trapeze artist and strongwoman whose well-publicized suggestive performance was captured on film in 190 ...

, is seen falling after she adjusts Cleopatra's diadem, dying shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, the asp that reportedly caused Cleopatra's death is seen by the foot of one of the room's columns, barely visible as it slithers away. The setting for ''The Death of Cleopatra'' is funerary in nature, indicated by the various decorations in the room such as the

sphinx A sphinx ( , grc, σφίγξ , Boeotian: , plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon. In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches of ...

by the footboard,

canopic jar Canopus (, ; grc-gre, Κάνωπος, ), also known as Canobus ( grc-gre, Κάνωβος, ), was an ancient Egyptian coastal town, located in the Nile Delta. Its site is in the eastern outskirts of modern-day Alexandria, around from the cent ...

s by the headboard, the lamp and even the columns decorated with hieroglyphs. A statue of

Anubis Anubis (; grc, Ἄνουβις), also known as Inpu, Inpw, Jnpw, or Anpu in Ancient Egyptian () is the god of death, mummification, embalming, the afterlife, cemeteries, tombs, and the Underworld, in ancient Egyptian religion, usually depict ...

is also present in the background, foreshadowing what was to come.

History

Luna first began work on ''The Death of Cleopatra'' in his then-studio on Via Margutta in

, where he had lived since moving to the city in 1878 with his master,

Alejo Vera Alejo Vera y Estaca (14 July 1834, Viñuelas – 4 February 1923, Madrid) was a Spanish painter in the Romantic style who specialized in history painting. Biography At an early age, his teachers in the public school noticed that he had a ...

. A study (''boceto'') for what would become the final painting was created in 1880, modeled on an 1874 painting of the death of Cleopatra by the French painter

Jean-André Rixens Jean-André Rixens (30 November 1846 – 21 February 1925) was a French painter, known for his classical scenes and portraits. Biography He was born in Saint-Gaudens. His father was a master shoemaker. After completing his basic education, ...

. Unlike the final piece, the ''boceto'' was sold for at an auction by Salcedo Auctions in March 2019. Because of the exposure, Luna received a pension

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...

at the

Ayuntamiento de Manila The Ayuntamiento de Manila (Manila City Hall) is a building located at the corner of Andrés Soriano Avenue (formerly, ''Calle Aduana'') and Cabildo Street, fronting Plaza de Roma in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines. Also known as the Casas Consi ...

. After the painting competition, Luna sold it for 5,000

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

pesetas,"The Death of Cleopatra" by Juan Luna
Juan Luna Hero of the Philippine Revolution, filipino.biz.ph the highest price for a painting at the time.
, Juan Luna The Great Filipino Painter, library.thinkquest.com As Luna's "graduation work", ''The Death of Cleopatra'' was acquired by the

Spanish government gl, Goberno de España eu, Espainiako Gobernua , image = , caption = Logo of the Government of Spain , headerstyle = background-color: #efefef , label1 = Role , data1 = Executive power , label2 = Established , da ...

Ocampo, Ambeth R. (Chairman, National Historical Institute of the Philippines
"The Death of Cleopatra" by Juan Luna
from the article "''Las Damas Romanas'' (Roman Maidens) by Juan Luna (The Philippines 1857–1899)", Christie's, Department Information, Southeast Asian Modern and Contemporary Art, christies.com for one thousand duros."The Death of Cleopatra" (''La Muerte de Cleopatra'') by Juan Luna
, lopezmuseum.org.ph

See list

* '' Spoliarium'' * '' España y Filipinas'' * '' Las Damas Romanas'' * '' The Blood Compact''

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* Image o
''The Death of Cleopatra'' by Juan Luna
at superstock.com * Image o

at isidore-of-seville.com
''The Death of Cleopatra''
on the official website of the Museo del Prado
Other paintings by Luna
at flickr.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Death Of Cleopatra, The 1881 paintings Paintings by Juan Luna Paintings depicting Cleopatra Paintings about suicide Paintings in the collection of the Museo del Prado Philippine paintings