Skip to main content

Secondary sourcePainting1802

Baths of Cleopatra, at Alexandria

Luigi Mayer · 1802

A hand-coloured aquatint of 1802 showing a coastal site in Alexandria traditionally associated with Cleopatra.

Depicts a site traditionally linked to Cleopatra's name, showing how later generations remembered her through place and legend.

Ask Cleopatra about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Hand-coloured aquatint titled Baths of Cleopatra, at Alexandria. A rocky coastal scene with a curved sandy inlet in the foreground, stone steps and a small arched doorway, a hill with ruined structures behind, and sailing boats on the sea. Figures in turbans and robes stand on the shore and sit in a rowboat.
Luigi Mayer, Baths of Cleopatra, at Alexandria, coloured aquatint, 1802. Wellcome Collection, London.

About this source

What it is

This is a hand-coloured aquatint print made in 1802 by Luigi Mayer, showing a rocky coastal scene in Alexandria known as the "Baths of Cleopatra." It shows stone steps, an arched doorway, ruined structures on a hill, sailing boats, and local figures on the shore and in a rowboat. It is held by the Wellcome Collection in London.

Why it matters

The print was made many centuries after Cleopatra's lifetime, but it shows how later European travellers and artists imagined and depicted places linked to her legend. It reveals more about 18th/19th-century European fascination with Egypt and Cleopatra's legacy than about Cleopatra herself.

Look closer

  • What details in the image suggest this is an artist's romantic view rather than an exact record?
  • Why might a place be named after Cleopatra even centuries after her death?
  • What does the presence of local figures in the scene tell us about who the artist expected to view this print?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Cleopatra on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Cleopatra sources

Meet the AI Cleopatra →
Close-up photo of a brownish papyrus sheet with dark ink lines of Greek handwriting in columns, torn edges, and a dark background showing through a split down the middle.Document

Primary source

Papyrus with Signature of Cleopatra VII

Ptolemaic scribe; possibly countersigned by Cleopatra VII · February 33 BCE

Sepia-toned photograph of a white marble seated statue of Cleopatra by William Wetmore Story. She sits on a plinth engraved with the name CLEOPATRA, head resting on her raised hand, wearing a veil and draped robe, against a stone wall.Sculpture

Secondary source

Cleopatra

William Wetmore Story

Photograph of a white marble bust of a woman's head and upper neck, turned to the viewer's right. Wavy hair is combed over the forehead, a smooth bun sits at the back, and the hair shows a pinkish-brown discoloration. Light gray wall behind.Sculpture

Primary source

Portrait of Cleopatra (Berlin Bust)

c. 40-30 BCE

Marble sculpture of a woman's head and upper neck, shown in three-quarter view on a black stand against a brick wall. The hair is pulled back under a band with a knot at the top and a braided bun at the back. The face is calm with straight brows, a long nose, and closed lips. The bust is cut off at the base.Sculpture

Primary source

Head-Portrait of Cleopatra VII (Vatican Bust)

c. 40-30 BCE

Stone wall carving at an ancient Egyptian temple showing figures in traditional pharaonic poses and dress.Artifact

Primary source

Dendera Temple Relief of Cleopatra and Caesarion

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Cleopatra now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions