Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
It is March 5th, the birthday of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, and I think we should celebrate this day with this excellent painting!
The story of Mark Antony (83–30 BCE) and Cleopatra (69–30 BCE) was a popular subject for 18th-century artists. The ancient tale of the Roman consul and the Egyptian queen offered rich narratives of romance and warfare, military grandeur, tragedy, and death. Their celebrated love affair also allowed artists to explore classical oppositions—male and female, West and East.
The episode depicted here is drawn from Pliny the Elder’s Naturalis Historia (Natural History), which recounts a legendary contest between the two rulers. Cleopatra wagers that she can host a banquet more extravagant than even Mark Antony’s famed excesses. Tiepolo captures the climactic moment of this sumptuous feast: as Antony remains skeptical, Cleopatra reveals her final, decisive gesture. Removing one of the priceless pearls from her earrings, she dissolves it in a glass of vinegar and drinks it—an act of spectacular extravagance that secures her victory and costs Antony the wager.
P.S. Tiepolo created some spectacular works of art, including the largest ceiling fresco in the world!