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Secondary sourcePainting1742

The Banquet of Cleopatra

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo · 1742

A painting by Tiepolo showing the legendary banquet where Cleopatra reputedly dissolved a pearl in vinegar to prove her wealth.

Depicts a famous ancient legend about Cleopatra's wealth, as retold in 18th-century art.

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A richly colored painting showing a banquet scene with elegantly dressed figures gathered around a table, with a central female figure believed to be Cleopatra.
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, The Banquet of Cleopatra, 1742. Musée Cognacq-Jay.

About this source

What it is

This painting was created by the Venetian artist Giovanni Battista Tiepolo in 1742. It is held today at the Musée Cognacq-Jay. It depicts a famous ancient story about Cleopatra's extravagance at a banquet.

Why it matters

The painting shows how an old legend about Cleopatra, first told by the Roman writer Pliny, was still being retold and reimagined artistically over a thousand years later. It helps students see how myths about historical figures spread and change.

Look closer

  • What details suggest this is an imagined scene rather than a historical record?
  • Why might 18th-century audiences have been fascinated by a story about extravagance?
  • What does the painting tell us about Tiepolo's time rather than Cleopatra's own?

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.

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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.Painting

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Baths of Cleopatra, at Alexandria

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William Wetmore Story

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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

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