EDWARD'S LECTURE NOTES:
More notes at http://tanguay.info/learntracker
C O U R S E
Sexing the Canvas: Art and Gender
Jeanette Hoorn, The University of Melbourne
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C O U R S E L E C T U R E Tiepolo´s Cleopatra: Agency in Paint Notes taken on April 23, 2016 by Edward Tanguay |
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Tiepolo's Banquet of Cleopatra, 1744
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set in the Palace of the Pharaohs in Alexandria around 140 BC
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it's about a competition that Cleopatra made with her husband Marc Anthony
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a bet about who was the most extravagant and therefore the most powerful regent in Rome of the day
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Cleopatra wagered that she could spend the equivalent of 80,000 pounds of gold on one feast
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after everyone had finished the meal, to further emphasize the control she emphasized over the resources of empire, Cleopatra took off one of the pearls she was wearing, and dissolved it in the wine in her glass
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the story of the dissolving of the pearl appears in Pliny the Elder
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in his Natural History
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an example of the vice of luxury
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the perspective point of the painting draws attention to Cleopatra's finger holding the pearl
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each of the protagonists are accompanied by gender-specific dogs
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Cleopatra has her lap dog
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Anthony has his greyhound
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Cleopatra focuses intently upon dissolving the pearl
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Tiepolo demonstrates with the painting how Cleopatra subjugated Rome to her will and to her beauty and agency
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allows the image of Cleopatra to seduce the viewer
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a beautiful woman with blond hair and blue eyes
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her actual skin color was probably darker
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Tiepolo probably used that of his model
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perhaps his wife or one of his daughters
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she does not resemble Cleopatra's image on ancient coins
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Cleopatra's costume
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her frock made of golden silk is covered with pearls
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flows elegantly over her body
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a ruffle frames her neckline
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the brooch in the center of her bodice shows a classical female figure
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she is covered with pearls from head to foot
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the many attendants emphasize her power
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dresses in an array of silks and satins
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the two Africans add a multicultural dimension to the composition
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emphasizes the sense of power of Cleopatra by minimizing the impact of her husband Marc Antony
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she addresses us with her face turned toward us
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Antony is seen only at an angle with him facing in to the side, his back to the viewer
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powerful body dressed in military attire
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brass helmet
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we don't see the full range of his facial features
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we are not able to gauge his reaction to Cleopatra's acts of extravagance through which she asserts her agency
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surrounding palaces of the pharaohs
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this famous palace in Alexandria is widely discussed in ancient literature
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appears in the writings of Lucan
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a crowd of musicians which watch the banquet from above comment on the scene below
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in the upper left-hand corner, a man points at Cleopatra
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the opulence of the setting, richly attired servants, the magnificent architecture, and the attention of onlookers all conspire to bring Cleopatra's power to the fore