The Death of Cleopatra

The Death of Cleopatra (Spanish: La muerte de Cleopatra),[1] also known simply as Cleopatra,[2] is an 1881 oil painting on canvas by the Filipino painter Juan Luna, currently on display at the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain. Depicting the death of Cleopatra, the last active ruler of Ancient Egypt, the painting was painted during Luna's stay in Rome, and later won a silver medal during the 1881 National Exposition of Fine Arts in Madrid, which was also his first art exposition.[3]

This article is about the painting by Juan Luna. For the event, see Death of Cleopatra. For works titled with the same name, see The Death of Cleopatra (Jean-André Rixens Painting) and Edmonia Lewis.
The Death of Cleopatra
Spanish: La muerte de Cleopatra
ArtistJuan Luna
Year1881
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions250 cm × 340 cm (98.4 in × 132 in)
LocationMuseo del Prado, Madrid

The painting, one of only three pieces by Filipino artists on permanent display at the Prado,[4] 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,[5] but also brought to attention the ability of Filipino artists, and particularly Luna himself, to surpass their European contemporaries.[6]

Description

The Death of Cleopatra depicts Cleopatra moments after her death, with Luna taking inspiration for the painting's composition from Plutarch's account of her life in his Parallel Lives series.[7] Her corpse is found at the center of the painting, lying on a bed adorned with a golden headboard and covered with rich bedsheets,[8] with the sheets themselves decorated with hieroglyphs and the footboard similarly adorned in gold. Cleopatra herself is bejeweled and dressed in a manner befitting that of an Egyptian queen,[9] and smoke coming from a nearby lamp, said to contain incense,[9] hovering above her body signifies that she had died,[10] giving the piece a mysterious aura.[8] 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.[11]

Two servants in various states of collapse are also present in the painting,[8] with the first, Iras, already dead by Cleopatra's feet.[9] The second, the dark-skinned Charmion, is seen falling after she adjusts Cleopatra's diadem, dying shortly thereafter.[9] Meanwhile, the asp that reportedly caused Cleopatra's death is seen by the foot of one of the room's columns,[9] barely visible as it slithers away.[7]

The setting for The Death of Cleopatra is funerary in nature, indicated by the various decorations in the room such as the sphinx by the footboard, canopic jars by the headboard, the lamp and even the columns decorated with hieroglyphs.[9] A statue of Anubis is also present in the background, foreshadowing what was to come.[8]

History

Luna first began work on The Death of Cleopatra in his then-studio on Via Margutta in Rome, where he had lived since moving to the city in 1878 with his master, Alejo Vera.[10] 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.[12] Unlike the final piece, the boceto was sold for ₱9.3 million at an auction by Salcedo Auctions in March 2019.[13]

Because of the exposure, Luna received a pension scholarship at the Ayuntamiento de Manila.[3] After the painting competition, Luna sold it for 5,000 Spanish pesetas,[14] the highest price for a painting at the time.[15] As Luna's "graduation work", The Death of Cleopatra was acquired by the Spanish government[16] for one thousand duros.[17]

After its last appearance in 1887, the painting was again shown to the public 130 years later in 2017 at the National Gallery of Singapore.[18]

See list

References
  1. "Juan Luna". Kulay Diwa Gallery of Philippine Art. Archived from the original on June 23, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  2. Sánchez Gómez 2002, p. 285.
  3. Lizares, Luci (February 17, 2010). "Lizares: The passionate Juan Luna". SunStar Bacolod. Archived from the original on February 26, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  4. Pulido, Natividad (July 6, 2021). "El Prado 'desempolva' su colección del XIX: más social, más internacional y con más mujeres" [The Prado "dusts off" its 19th-century collection: more social, more international and with more women]. ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  5. Lacuesta, Sarge (February 28, 2019). "History and Cleopatra: What You Need to Know About the Latest Juan Luna Boceto". Esquire Philippines. Summit Media. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  6. Vogeler, Sarah NH (December 17, 2017). "Bringing the past into the present". New Straits Times. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  7. Zulueta, Lito B. (November 16, 2017). "First exhibit of Luna's 'The Death of Cleopatra'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  8. Valtierra Lacalle 2020, p. 37.
  9. Rodríguez González 2019, p. 60.
  10. Zulueta, Lito B. (October 7, 2020). "This Juan Luna painting hadn't been shown in public since 1887 – until a Singapore museum displayed it in 2017". Mabuhay. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  11. Valtierra Lacalle 2020, p. 38.
  12. Matilla, Dexter R. (March 4, 2019). "Salcedo Auctions to bid out 'boceto' of Luna's 'Cleopatra'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  13. "Luna's study of "Death of Cleopatra" sells for Php 9.3 million at auction". ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs. March 15, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  14. "The Death of Cleopatra" by Juan Luna, Juan Luna Hero of the Philippine Revolution, filipino.biz.ph
  15. "The Death of Cleopatra" by Juan Luna Archived 2009-04-25 at the Wayback Machine, Juan Luna The Great Filipino Painter, library.thinkquest.com
  16. 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
  17. "The Death of Cleopatra" (La Muerte de Cleopatra) by Juan Luna Archived 2010-01-29 at the Wayback Machine, lopezmuseum.org.ph
  18. https://www.tatlerasia.com/lifestyle/arts/the-best-of-juan-luna

Bibliography
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