Cleopatra and Octavian
About this artwork
Gauffier demonstrates his fine narrative skills in this small, colourful and highly polished painting. It reflects contemporary interest in Ancient Egypt. The subject is based on Plutarch's Life of Mark Anthony which describes Octavian's meeting with the Egyptian queen Cleopatra after his victory over Mark Anthony at the battle of Actium in 31 BC. Octavian remains unconvinced by Cleopatra's pleas of innocence, which then turn to flattery as she compares him with his great uncle, Julius Caesar. The painting was commissioned by the Comte d'Angiviller, the influential superintendent of the king's art works, and intended as a pendant for a painting by Jacques-Louis David.
Updated August 2022
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artist:Louis GauffierFrench (1761 - 1801)
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title:Cleopatra and Octavian
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date created:1787 - 1788
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materials:Oil on canvas
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measurements:83.80 x 112.50 cm; Framed: 108.40 x 137.50 x 9.00 cm / 36.00 kg
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased with the aid of the Art Fund 1991
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accession number:NG 2526
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glossary:
Louis Gauffier
Louis Gauffier
Gauffier was a successful neoclassical painter. He was joint winner of the French Academy's Rome prize in 1784, at the age of 22, which provided a scholarship for three years' study at the French Academy in Rome. There he continued his academic training, drawing from pieces of classical sculpture...
