The Death of Cleopatra
Name
The Death of Cleopatra
Description
La Mort de Cléopâtre is a painting by Jean-André Rixens, a French painter who lived from 1846 to 1925. The painting is located in the Museum of the Augustines in Toulouse, France. It was painted in 1874, when Rixens was 28 years old.
Types
Artist
Category
Collection
Copyright
Public domain
Cover
Estimate
Unknown
Exhibited
Salon, Paris, 1874 (n° 1575) 'Egyptomania. L'Egypte dans l'art occidental de 1730 à 1930' Le Louvre, Paris - 20/01-18/04/1994 ; Musée des Beaux-Arts, Ottawa - 17/06-18/09/1994 ; Kunsthistorisches museum, Vienne - 15/10/1994-15/01/1995 'La Gloire d'Alexandrie' Petit Palais, Paris 05/05-26/07/1998 'Cléopâtre dans le miroir de l'art occidental' Musée Rath, Genève - 25/03-01/08/2004 'Jules César. L'homme, les exploits, le mythe' - Chiostro del Bramante, Rome - 23/10/2008-26/04/2009 'Tears of Eros' - Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid - 20/10/2009-31/01/2010 'Benjamin-Constant. Merveilles et mirages de l'orientalisme' Montréal, Musée des Beaux-Arts - 26/01-07/06/2015
Inventory number
2004 1 138 ; 239 (Ro) ; PFH-107 (Numéro d'inv. du F.N.A.C.) ; D 1875 1
Location
Medium
Movement
Provenance
Property of the municipality, transfer of state property, Toulouse, Musée des Augustins. Purchased at the 1874 salon.
Size of the artwork
Height 195cm ; Width 286cm ; Height with frame in cm 224 ; Width with frame in cm 315 ; Thickness 10cm.
Statement
The painting is a highly finished scene that straddles the line between classical composition and naturalistic style. The figures are arranged in a frieze-like manner, with the nude dying Egyptian queen Cleopatra at the center. The lighting is dramatic, with a spotlight on Cleopatra's body that contrasts with the warm colors of the banner behind her. The paleness of Cleopatra's body signals that she is dying, and the contrast with the warm colors of the banner behind her creates a sense of drama and tension. Based on the historical account of Cleopatra's death, in which she committed suicide by biting into a poisonous snake. The art work is full of symbolism, with the snake representing death, the banner representing Egypt, and the frieze like arrangement of the figures representing the classical tradition. The painting has been praised for its realism, its dramatic lighting, and its powerful depiction of Cleopatra's death.
Year
1874