Guido Reni, Italian, 1575-1642
Title: The Suicide of Cleopatra
Date: c.1639-1640
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
77 x 65 cm
Credit Line: Presented by Sir Denis Mahon to the British Fund for the National Gallery of Ireland, 2008
Object Number: NGI.4651
DescriptionThe tragic suicide of Cleopatra, the beautiful queen of Egypt, was a subject depicted by many artists, and Guido Reni painted it several times during his career. The historical event happened immediately after the death of Cleopatra’s lover, Mark Anthony. Discouraged and hopeless about her future, she decides to kill herself by the bite of an asp, to avoid falling into the hands of Octavius. The picture shows the moving moment when the small snake has just bitten the queen, leaving two tiny red wounds on her breast, while the deadly poison starts to take effect.
Characteristic of Reni’s style is the refined elegance of this composition. Throughout his life he experimented with new ways of painting, and in his last period he favoured a delicate silvery manner, working very quickly with freer brushwork and with light, soft colours, as in this picture.
March 2016
Characteristic of Reni’s style is the refined elegance of this composition. Throughout his life he experimented with new ways of painting, and in his last period he favoured a delicate silvery manner, working very quickly with freer brushwork and with light, soft colours, as in this picture.
March 2016
ProvenanceBritish collection at least from the beginning of the 19th century; Christie's, London, 1957; Denis Mahon; presented by Sir Denis Mahon to the British Fund for the National Gallery of Ireland, 2008
Exhibition HistoryGuido Reni und Europa, Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, 2 December 1988 - 26 February 1989
A Scholar's Eye, Paintings from the Denis Mahon Collection, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 15 October 1997 - 31 January 1998
Discovering the Italian Baroque: The Denis Mahon Collection, Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, 18 April - 19 July 1998; Palazzo Ruspoli, Rome, 28 September 1998 - 15 January 1999
Cleopatra Mirrored in Western Art, Musée Rath, Geneva, 11 March 2004 - 1 August 2004
Guido Cagnacci: Protagonist of the 17th Century between Caravaggio and Reni, Musei San Domenico, Forlí, 20 January - 22 June 2008
A Scholar's Eye, Paintings from the Denis Mahon Collection, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 15 October 1997 - 31 January 1998
Discovering the Italian Baroque: The Denis Mahon Collection, Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, 18 April - 19 July 1998; Palazzo Ruspoli, Rome, 28 September 1998 - 15 January 1999
Cleopatra Mirrored in Western Art, Musée Rath, Geneva, 11 March 2004 - 1 August 2004
Guido Cagnacci: Protagonist of the 17th Century between Caravaggio and Reni, Musei San Domenico, Forlí, 20 January - 22 June 2008
Label TextCleopatra is portrayed vulnerable and hopeless at the fatal moment that she is bitten by a poisonous snake. The Queen of Egypt and her husband Mark Antony killed themselves following their defeat, by Octavian, at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. Guido Reni painted the subject of Cleopatra's suicide several times. From Bologna, the artist worked in a classical style, influenced by the art of ancient Greece and Rome. This painting exemplifies his later style when he painted with a cool, silvery palette.