Cleopatra

William Wetmore Story

1858, carved 1869 · Marble · The American Wing

Neoclassical sculptors often drew upon mythology, history, the Bible, and literature for their subject matter. "Cleopatra" exemplifies Story’s penchant for depicting famous—or infamous—personalities from history as they contemplate past deeds or forthcoming actions of cataclysmic significance. Here, Cleopatra (69–30 B.C.), the last Macedonian ruler of Egypt, meditates suicide; the asp curled around her left arm predicts her death from its venomous bite. Story rendered his figures on a monumental scale and paid meticulous attention to archaeological exactitude in their props and costumes. Cleopatra wears the "nemes," or royal headcloth, topped with the "uraeus," or cobra headdress.

Artist

William Wetmore Story

Date

1858, carved 1869

Medium

Marble

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of John Taylor Johnston, 1888