01 work, PORTRAIT OF A LADY, Reginald Arthur's The Death of Cleopatra, with Footnotes. #186

Reginald Arthur (fl. 1881-1896)

The Death of Cleopatra 'The Stroke of Death etc', c 1892

Oil on canvas

44¾ x 72 1/8 in. (121.3 x 103.2 cm.)

Private collection

Once Mark Anthony had been defeated at the battle of Actium (30 B.C.), and fallen on his sword, Cleopatra herself commited suicide to avoid capture by Octavian. An asp, or Egyptian cobra, was smuggled to her in a basket of figs and she died from its bite. According to Egyptian legend, death from snakebite ensured immortality. The courage involved in her suicide impressed many, and Arthur has appended to his title well known thoughts of the philosopher Francis Bacon (1561-1624): 'I do not believe that any man fears to be dead, but only the stroke of death'. More on this painting

Cleopatra VII Philopator (69 – August 12, 30 BC), was the last active pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt, briefly survived as pharaoh by her son Caesarion. After her reign, Egypt became a province of the recently established Roman Empire.

Cleopatra was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, a family of Macedonian Greek origin that ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great's death. The Ptolemies spoke Greek throughout their dynasty, and refused to speak Egyptian, which is the reason that Greek as well as Egyptian languages were used on official court documents such as the Rosetta Stone. By contrast, Cleopatra did learn to speak Egyptian and represented herself as the reincarnation of the Egyptian goddess Isis.

Cleopatra originally ruled jointly with her father Ptolemy XII Auletes, and later with her brothers Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV, whom she married as per Egyptian custom, but eventually she became sole ruler. As pharaoh, she consummated a liaison with Julius Caesar that solidified her grip on the throne.

After Caesar's assassination in 44 BC, she aligned with Mark Antony in opposition to Caesar's legal heir Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (later known as Augustus). With Antony, she bore the twins Cleopatra Selene II and Alexander Helio. Antony committed suicide after losing the Battle of Actium to Octavian's forces, and Cleopatra followed suit. According to tradition, she killed herself by means of an asp bite on August 12, 30 BC. More Cleopatra

Reginald Arthur lived at 47 Bedford Square, very close to the British Museum and was greatly inspired by its classical treasures; one of his earliest exhibits was entitled A Bit from the British Museum. Egyptian subjects seem to have been his speciality and among his finest works are The Death of Cleopatra and Joseph Interpreting Pharaoh's Dream. More on Reginald Arthur

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