Busacca Gallery

Marble Bust of Cleopatra Egypt: Origin: Egypt: Circa: 1 st Century BC to 1 AD Dimensions:5" (12.7cm) high Collection: Classical Style: Egyptio-Roman Medium: Marble Condition: Extra Fine. This striking marble bust represents arguably the ancient world’s most powerful and influential woman, Cleopatra. The last pharaoh of ancient Egypt, she bridged the gap between the Hellenistic era and the beginnings of Rome’s Eastern Mediterranean Empire, ruthlessly exploiting her amply-attested charms in order to gain, hold and perpetuate power in the region. The sculpture stands about 5” tall and depicts the head and neck of a determined-looking young woman. The piece is immediately distinguishable from classical Roman pieces by the manner of the carving, the form of the hair and – especially – the manner in which the features (particularly the eyes) have been rendered. The forehead is high and smooth, the cheekbones high, and the chin is rounded yet firm. The rendering of the brows is highly geometrical and symmetrical, converging jointly on a small, straight and pointed nose. The lips are firmly set and even, with a slight dimple above the lip and beneath the nose. As stated above, it is the eyes that stand out. They seem almost overlarge, due to the fact that they are wide-open and undecorated, and also because of the wide, elevated rim that surrounds them, lending drama to their impassivity and impactive power to the whole. The coiffure is represented in Cleopatra's unique signature hairstyle; it is shown as a pair of sweeping curtains of hair flowing back from an uneven centre parting, and gathered in the back with an elongated clip, oriented vertically forming three braids. Small triangular tufts of hair protrude from each side, just anterior to the ears. Cleopatra, whose full name was Cleopatra VII Philopator, was a Greek aristocrat whose father was Ptolemy the Twelfth. While technically Egyptian, she was actually Greek; Greek was her first language, and she was descended from a long line of Hellenistic pharaohs who originated with Alexander the Great, some 350 years before. Cleopatra is reputed to have been the first member of her family in their 300-year reign in Egypt to have learned the Egyptian language. Cleopatra adopted common Egyptian beliefs and deities. Her patron goddess was Isis, and thus during her reign, it was believed that she was the re-incarnation and embodiment of the goddess of wisdom. She ruled first with her father, then with her brothers/husbands Ptolemy 13th and Ptolemy 14th. Inbreeding of this sort was standard in New Kingdom and Hellenistic Egypt, but Cleopatra was determined enough to ensure her power by contracting a liaison with Gaius Julius Caesar when a Roman Empire seemed inevitable. She attempted to rule on her own following her fathers’ death, but was forced into exile by conservative courtiers who put her brother Ptolemy 13th on the throne. She raised an army, but it proved unnecessary once a series of diplomatic blunders by her husband/brother led to alienation of Caesar. She seduced him, and thus gained both imperial favour and the throne. She married her other brother, Ptolemy XIV, but seems to have prevented him from actually administering to any royal affairs. When she bore Caesar’s son Ptolemy XV Caesarion, Ptolemy the 14th was – perhaps not coincidentally – poisoned, leaving her as ruler with heir in hand. To safeguard their future, she had her sister – Arsinoe – murdered. Following Caesar’s assassination, she became involved with Marc Anthony, bearing him three children. Unfortunately, he was defeated by the armies of Octavian, leaving her abandoned. She committed suicide – apparently by asp bite – in 30 BC, aged just 39. Her son Caesarion ruled momentarily but was executed by Octavian’s forces. With him died the long line of Egyptian pharaohs, although her three children by Marc Anthony did survive and were taken back to Rome. This piece is a remarkable survival, and a stirring representation of a truly outstanding historical personality. It is also symbolic of the cultural symbiosis between Egypt and the Romans, and a beautiful piece of art in its own right. This is an extremely important and desirable masterwork.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra

Cleopatra VII Philopator (Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ; Late 69 BC – August 12, 30 BC), known to history as Cleopatra, was the last active pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, only shortly survived by her son, Caesarion as pharaoh. The name Cleopatra is derived from the Greek name Κλεοπατρα (Kleopatra) which meant "glory of the father" in the feminine form, derived from κλεος (kleos) "glory" combined with πατρος (patros) "of the father" (the masculine form would be Kleopatros).



Cleopatra was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, a family of Greek origin that ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great's death during the Hellenistic period. The Ptolemies, throughout their dynasty, spoke Greek and refused to speak Egyptian, which is the reason that Greek as well as Egyptian languages were used on official court documents such as the Rosetta Stone. By contrast, Cleopatra did learn to speak Egyptian and represented herself as the reincarnation of an Egyptian goddess, Isis.



Cleopatra originally ruled jointly with her father, Ptolemy XII Auletes, and later with her brothers, Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV, whom she married as per Egyptian custom, but eventually she became sole ruler. As pharaoh, she consummated a liaison with Julius Caesar that solidified her grip on the throne. She later elevated her son with Caesar, Caesarion, to co-ruler in name.



After Caesar's assassination in 44 BC, she aligned with Mark Antony in opposition to Caesar's legal heir, Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (later known as Augustus). With Antony, she bore the twins Cleopatra Selene II and Alexander Helios, and another son, Ptolemy Philadelphus (her unions with her brothers had produced no children). After losing the Battle of Actium to Octavian's forces, Antony committed suicide. Cleopatra followed suit, according to tradition killing herself by means of an asp bite on August 12, 30 BC. She was briefly outlived by Caesarion, who was declared pharaoh by his supporters but soon killed on Octavian's orders. Egypt became the Roman province of Aegyptus.



To this day, Cleopatra remains a popular figure in Western culture. Her legacy survives in numerous works of art and the many dramatizations of her story in literature and other media, including William Shakespeare's tragedy Antony and Cleopatra, Jules Massenet's opera Cléopâtre and the 1963 film Cleopatra.