The Banquet Of Cleopatra

Giambattista Tiepolo’s The Banquet Of Cleopatra which was created around 1743-1744 is one among the eighteenth century artworks that told the epic story of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. The episode represented in this painting is drawn from the Roman historian Pliny’s Historia naturalis (Natural History), which recounted the tale of a famous contest between the Egyptian and Roman rulers, whereby Cleopatra wagered that she could stage a feast more lavish than the legendary excesses of Mark Antony. Tiepolo’s painting shows the dramatic moment at the end of Cleopatra’s sumptuous repast when, faced with a still scornful Mark Antony, she wins the wager by using her trump card. Removing one of a pair of priceless pearls that she wears as earrings, Cleopatra dissolves the pearl in a glass of vinegar and drinks it – an extravagance that causes Mark Antony to lose his bet. The original oil painting of Tiepolo’s The Banquet Of Cleopatra is currently held the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in Melbourne, Australia.