01 work, PORTRAIT OF A LADY, THE CONSEQUENCES OF WAR, Bernard Duvivier's Cleopatra Captured by Roman Soldiers, with Footnotes #236

Bernard Duvivier French (b. Flanders), 1762-1837

Cleopatra Captured by Roman Soldiers after the Death of Mark Antony, c.  1789

Oil on canvas

45 x 58 inches

Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University

The subject of this painting is a rarely-depicted moment in the story of Antony and Cleopatra. In Plutarch’s Life of Mark Antony, Antony dies of a self-inflicted wound in Cleopatra’s “monument”, a fortified tomb in which the Egyptian queen had barricaded herself. Several of Caesar Augustus’s men, seeking to capture Cleopatra alive, enter the monument just as she is about to stab herself. The soldier Proculeius prevents Cleopatra’s suicide by seizing and then admonishing her. More on this painting 

Jean-Bernard Duvivier (Bruges, 1762 – Paris, 1837) was a painter and drawer of portraits and historical and religious subjects, a book illustrator and a professor at the Normal School in Paris. After having been instructed by Hubert and Paul de Cock and Suvée, he studied in Italy for six years. His style is characterised by balanced composition, lifelike drawing and bright colours. 

Duvivier initially studied in his natïve Bruges, but by 1783 he was a student at the Paris Academie, where in 1785, at age 23, he received second prize in the annual Prix de Rome competition for his painting Death of Camilla. Cleopatra Captured by Roman Soldiers is almost identical in format and size to the earlier painting; it is likely that this painting was an assignment for one of the preliminary rounds in another Prix de Rome competition. More on Jean-Bernard Duvivier

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints, 365 Days, and Biblical Icons, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.