The Death of Cleopatra (c.1645-1655). Guido Cagnacci (Italian, 1601-1663). Oil on canvas. Met. The s
The Death of Cleopatra (c.1645-1655). Guido Cagnacci (Italian, 1601-1663). Oil on canvas. Met. The subject, from Plutarch’s Lives (1st century A.D.), is Cleopatra’s suicide by an asp bite following the defeat of her beloved Mark Antony at the battle of Actium. It provided Cagnacci with an erotically charged and emotionally engaging action that appealed to the Baroque imagination. Although Cagnacci’s picture is indebted to the example of Guido Reni, its flagrant sensuality is utterly singular. Cagnacci made a trip to Rome in the company of Guercino, where Caravaggio’s example of painting directly from the model proved transformative. -- source link
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