Cleopatra
1883
Swedish artist Julius Kronberg captured the infamous final hours of Cleopatra in this dramatic 1883 scene. According to legend, before choosing her own method of death, she tested various poisons on condemned prisoners to find the most painless one. Here, she casually reaches for a basket of venomous asps while a slave collapses in agony at her feet, highlighting the ruthless pragmatism behind the legendary queen's famous suicide. The lavish Egyptian setting, complete with hieroglyphs and exotic plants, contrasts sharply with the gruesome scene unfolding in the foreground.
- Technique
- Oil on canvas
Location: Nationalmuseum, Stockholm