Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium

Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium

Mark Antony is shown in the central galley commanding his men, while Cleopatra is enthroned on a splendid ship on the right. Platzer used a very similar composition – a mêlée of ships of the ancient world as he saw it – for his depiction of The Rape of Helen (Wallace Collection, no. 634).

Public domain

B.I., Old Masters, 1819

WM 1496–1948

Bought together with "The Death of Cleopatra" by the 1st Duke of Wellington in Paris in 1817, for 3000 frs. from the Chevalier Gaspard Thierry. According to Thierry these two paintings "were given as a reward for distinguished services by the King of Bavaria to a Prince Hohenzollern (...)" Letter of Jan 17, 1817, Wellington archive.

H 52 x W 80 cm

Johann Georg Platzer was a prolific painter of classical subjects on copper. He was known for his fluid blending of colors and detailed drapery, which were well-suited to the medium of copper. Platzer often used thick and uneven sheets of copper, and in the case of this painting, the copper was first beaten, then rolled. Platzer's subject matter and technique were influenced by Flemish artists such as Frans Francken II, whose work was popular in Vienna, where Platzer lived and worked.

Between 1740 and 1760