The Meeting of Antony and Cleopatra: 41 BC by Lawrence Alma-Tadema - 1885 - 65.5 × 92 cm private collection The Meeting of Antony and Cleopatra: 41 BC by Lawrence Alma-Tadema - 1885 - 65.5 × 92 cm private collection

The Meeting of Antony and Cleopatra: 41 BC

oil on canvas • 65.5 × 92 cm
  • Lawrence Alma-Tadema - January 8, 1836 - June 25, 1912 Lawrence Alma-Tadema 1885

The Meeting of Antony and Cleopatra: 41 BC is one of Alma-Tadema's typically lush and detailed pictures. The artist, although having his critics, was one of the most successful artists of the Victorian era, his buyers appreciating his attention to what was considered "historical accuracy" in his classical subjects. Alma-Tadema referred to Shakespeare for inspiration when painting Cleopatra’s barge as she awaits the arrival of Antony, whose triremes we can see off in the distance. He once said, "The people of today will tell you all this minute detail is not art… But it gives so much pleasure to paint… that I cannot help think it will give at least someone pleasure to look at…".