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Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 'The Banquet of Cleopatra', 1740s

About the work

Sat at a grand table, Cleopatra, ruler of Egypt, is about to dissolve one of her priceless pearls in a goblet of vinegar, showing her contempt for wealth to the Roman general Mark Antony, who, dressed in red, recoils in surprise. The moment is described by the Roman historian Pliny in his Natural History (Book IX). The tension in the scene is increased by the efforts of the servant in the bottom left to control a fine white horse, and the onlookers watching in suspense.

Tiepolo painted Cleopatra’s banquet several times, and this small painting may be an early oil sketch for his famous fresco in the Palazzo Labia in Venice, which he completed in around 1746. As a preliminary study, his style is much looser than in his finished works, but he still uses a delicacy of colour in Cleopatra’s cream dress, the architectural details in subtle pinks and stronger tones of the onlookers' clothing.

Key facts

Full title
The Banquet of Cleopatra
Artist
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
Artist dates
1696 - 1770
Date made
1740s
Medium and support
oil on canvas
Dimensions
46.3 × 66.7 cm
Acquisition credit
Presented by the Misses Rachel F. and Jean I. Alexander; entered the collection, 1972
Inventory number
NG6409
Location
Room 33
Collection
Main Collection
Frame
19th-century Italian Frame

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

More works by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

(Showing 6 of 9 works)
A Vision of the Trinity
A Vision of the Trinity
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
This highly finished oil sketch relates to an altarpiece that Giovanni Battista Tiepolo painted for the chapel at the palace of Nymphenburg, outside Munich, in around 1735 (now in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich). Saint Clement kneels in the foreground, a vision of the Trinity above him. God the Fath...
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An Allegory with Venus and Time
An Allegory with Venus and Time
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This huge oval-shaped painting, which is about 3 metres long, was commissioned to decorate a ceiling in a palazzo belonging to the Contarini family. The scale of the figures and the sense that they are above us hint at the intended destination: this work was made to be seen from below, and at a g...
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Four Saints
Four Saints
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This oil sketch shows the design for an altarpiece that Giovanni Battista Tiepolo made for the church of San Salvatore in Venice in 1737. The scene unites saints from different periods and places. Seated on the throne and holding a flaming heart to symbolise his love for God is Saint Augustine (3...
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Rinaldo turning in Shame from the Magic Shield
Rinaldo turning in Shame from the Magic Shield
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This painting shows Rinaldo, a Christian knight who has been enchanted by the Saracen sorceress Armida. He turns away from his own reflection in a magic shield that has been given to him by one of his companions to break the spell. Rinaldo later gives up his love for Armida and escapes.The scene...
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Saints Maximus and Oswald (?)
Saints Maximus and Oswald (?)
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
This small picture is based on an altarpiece Tiepolo made in about 1742 for a church in Padua. The altarpiece, which is still in situ, is dedicated to Saints Maximus and Oswald, though only the figure of Saint Maximus is the same in both.Saint Maximus, the second bishop of Padua, is shown here dr...
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Seated Man, Woman with Jar, and Boy
Seated Man, Woman with Jar, and Boy
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
Within a walled garden, a man wearing a striking blue costume and ornate necklace catches the gaze of a woman holding a jar. A young boy stands just behind her, carrying a spear. Beyond the wall we glimpse treetops and birds flying across a bright sky.This picture is part of a series of four pain...
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The Virgin and Child appearing to a Group of Saints
The Virgin and Child appearing to a Group of Saints
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This is a small oil sketch but its composition is ambitious. Tiepolo has arranged the figures in a towering pyramid with the Virgin Mary at the top, seated on a cloud. She holds the Christ Child on her knee, grasping his foot firmly as he tugs at her veil.The saints’ responses unfold in a chain r...
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Two Men seated under a Tree
Two Men seated under a Tree
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
Two men in turbans are seated under a tree that provides little shade. One has his back to us; the other, who wears his clothing in elaborate layers, has a bushy moustache that gives him extra character. He rests his right arm on a jar and looks across the scene, though his eyes are hidden by his...
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Two Standing Figures
Two Standing Figures
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
Two men, wearing robes and headdresses of luxurious fabrics, stand huddled together. Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s lively outlines and visible brushstrokes emphasise the long, showy sleeves and folds of their clothing. Hints of primary colours appear against more sombre tones, while the brilliant s...
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You've viewed 6 of 9 works