Cleopatra

Maker Laurent Delvaux (Flemish, ca. 1695 - 1778)

ClassificationsSCULPTURE

Dateca. 1720

Mediummarble

Dimensions10 1/4 x 23 in. (26 x 58.4 cm.)

DescriptionThis sculpture portrays Cleopatra, one of the most famous female rulers in history, who reigned as queen of Egypt during the 1st century B.C.

SignedSigned: L. Delvaux

InscribedSigned: L. Delvaux

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

Status

On view

Label TextOne of a pair of small scale female subjects (the other is on display nearby), this sculpture depicts the fabled Egyptian queen reclining in sleep, her voluptuous curves and supple skin lending the figure a sensual quality. The pair represents a collaboarion between two of the leading Flemish scultpors in London during the 1720s. Delvaux and Peter Scheemakers produced a number of these, supplying the demand for small-scale sculptures inspired by antique models that resulted from a taste for classical art acquired by British Grand Tourists during their sojourns in Rome.

Object number68.10A

Terms