Donato Creti, 'Artemisia drinking the Ashes of Mausolus', about 1713-14

A servant presents Artemisia, queen of the ancient Greek city of Halicarnassus (now Bodrum in Turkey), with a cup containing the ashes of her dead husband Mausolus. The queen gazes solemnly upward, her face pale and her mouth slightly open. She built a great funerary monument at Halicarnassus in memory of her husband (the so-called ‘mausoleum’), which became one of the wonders of the ancient world.

This painting was long known as Sophonisba taking Poison, as it was thought to show the suicide of Sophonisba, wife of Massinissa, King of Numidia, as recounted by Livy. In fact, Creti based his composition on a painting of Artemisia by the Bolognese artist Giovan Gioseffo dal Sole (1654–1719), made in around 1700–5 (Galleria Corsini, Rome). Dal Sole’s painting is larger than Creti’s and it has more figures and an elaborate architectural setting, but there are numerous similarities in the range of poses and gestures and in the subtle colouring. Creti may have reduced the scale and scope of the scene, but by doing so he has increased its intimacy.

Artemisia supposedly drank Mausolus‘ ashes in order to become his living tomb, but it isn’t clear whether Creti has depicted the moment just before or just after her gesture. Our eye is drawn along the serving girl’s crisp yellow drapery towards the tray in her outstretched hand. This diagonal is continued by the bowl in Artemisia’s hand and culminates in her sorrowful face. Creti was known for elegant compositions such as this, and for his precise handling of form. Here, the servant’s graceful profile and intricate hairstyle are painted with his meticulous, almost calligraphic brushwork. The little, pinched noses of both figures are also characteristic of Creti.

Creti painted this scene in around 1713–14, having established his career in Bologna. It was around this time that he married Francesca Zani, who he often used as the model for his female figures; their marriage was short-lived, however, as she died in 1719.