In the near distance there is a bright sun-lit courtyard in front of a temple like building with impressive columns. In the square under the blazing sun we see an already dead prisoner being carried away by two male servants. In the foreground there is a prisoner dying in agony on the ground and clutching his stomach. Next to him there is a female servant holding the bottle of poison that he just drank from.
In the near foreground we have a section sheltered from the sun. There is a raised platform upon which the beautiful queen and her graceful maid gazes with cool indifference at the spectacle in the courtyard. The two women are surrounded by plants and flowers. They are wearing beautiful fabrics and have a cheetah next to them. According to Egyptian mythology, the cheetah represents the goddess Mafdet- who protects pharaohs.
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The painting depicts the story of how Cleopatra tested poisons so that she could choose the most effective and painless one to keep with her in case she needed to commit suicide.
Plutarch, the Roman historian, too, writes of Cleopatra interest in poisons, observing herself which venomous snake was most effective. “She did this daily, tried them almost all; and she found that the bite of the asp alone induced a sleepy torpor and sinking, where there was no spasm or groan, but a gentle perspiration on the face, while the perceptive faculties were easily relaxed and dimmed, and resisted all attempts to rouse and restore them, as is the case with those who are soundly asleep” (Life of Antony, LXXI.5).
The painting shows Cleopatra as cold and calculating. She is assessing with interest the effect the poisons are having on the prisoners who are her subjects. She is dressed in luxurious clothes, but scantily, the robes don’t cover her breasts. She is portrayed in the Roman version as a woman of seductive beauty.
Plutarch talks about Cleopatra’s behaviour as “provocative impudence”, when she got herself carried secretly in a sleeping bag to meet Caesar. This escapade which resulted in her endearing to Caesar. However, this was an advantageous move from her point of view. She had been in an unstable position battling her brother in the Sinai desert. During the next months she was by the side of Caesar until she was restored back to the throne. Her position was precarious and she knew it. The fact that she was able to govern Egypt, effectively and relatively peacefully for the next 18 years (a relatively long tiume) is a testament to her intelligence and clear understanding of her situation. She could be toppled any time by the Romans, killed by her own family, betrayed by her advisers or deposed by the native Egyptians whom she ruled over.
She knew that she had to be ready for death all the time. If she was captured by Octavian, she would be transported to Rome and put to death in a humiliating manner. She avoided that final humiliation. Similar to the ingenuity she displayed at the start of her career when she smuggled herself through enemy lines she found her way to Alexandria and barricaded herself in a mausoleum. While in life, the Romans were reluctant to find good things to say about the achievements of Cleopatra. The fact that she chose the time and manner of her death finally earned her the grudging respect of her enemies.
She killed herself most likely using a poison. Possibly a poison selected through a gruesome and chilling process that this painting seeks to illustrate.
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