The Death of Cleopatra

This article is about the painting by Juan Luna. For the event, see Death of Cleopatra. For works titled with the same name, see The Death of Cleopatra (Jean-André Rixens Painting) and Edmonia Lewis. For the play by Ahmad Shawqi, see The Death of Cleopatra (play).
The Death of Cleopatra
Spanish: La muerte de Cleopatra
ArtistJuan Luna
Year1881
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions250 cm × 340 cm (98.4 in × 132 in)
LocationMuseo del Prado, Madrid

The Death of Cleopatra (Spanish: La muerte de Cleopatra),[1] also known simply as Cleopatra,[2] is an 1881 oil painting on canvas by the Filipino painter Juan Luna, currently on display at the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain. Depicting the death of Cleopatra, the last active ruler of Ancient Egypt, the painting was painted during Luna's stay in Rome, and later won a silver medal during the 1881 National Exposition of Fine Arts in Madrid, which was also his first art exposition.[3]

The painting, one of only three pieces by Filipino artists on permanent display at the Prado,[4] is notable both for its composition and its history. Painted during a time of increased national consciousness, The Death of Cleopatra not only served as a representation of a colonized people standing up against their colonizer,[5] but also brought to attention the ability of Filipino artists, and particularly Luna himself, to surpass their European contemporaries.[6]

  1. ^ "Juan Luna". Kulay Diwa Gallery of Philippine Art. Archived from the original on June 23, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  2. ^ Sánchez Gómez 2002, p. 285.
  3. ^ Lizares, Luci (February 17, 2010). "Lizares: The passionate Juan Luna". SunStar Bacolod. Archived from the original on February 26, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
  4. ^ Pulido, Natividad (July 6, 2021). "El Prado 'desempolva' su colección del XIX: más social, más internacional y con más mujeres" [The Prado "dusts off" its 19th-century collection: more social, more international and with more women]. ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  5. ^ Lacuesta, Sarge (February 28, 2019). "History and Cleopatra: What You Need to Know About the Latest Juan Luna Boceto". Esquire Philippines. Summit Media. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  6. ^ Vogeler, Sarah NH (December 17, 2017). "Bringing the past into the present". New Straits Times. Retrieved March 9, 2022.