About this artwork
This tapestry is from the Art Institute’s suite of 14 hangings depicting events from the lives of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Cleopatra, whose intertwined love affairs and conflicts have provided material for storytellers from Roman times to the present day. After Caesar defeated Pompey, his rival for control of the Roman Republic, Pompey fled to Egypt, pursued by Caesar. In Egypt Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII was fighting a civil wat against his sister, wife, and co-regent, Cleopatra VII. Ptolemy had Pompey murdered, offending Caesar, who then involved himself in the Egyptian civil war. Caesar deposed Ptolemy and sought an alliance with Cleopatra. Depicted here is Cleopatra receiving Caesar’s messenger, the beginning of their alliance and love affair.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Textiles
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Artist
- Guilliam van Leefdael (Manufacturer)
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Title
- Caesar Sends a Messenger to Cleopatra from The Story of Caesar and Cleopatra
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Place
- Flanders (Object made in)
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Date
- Made 1675–1685
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Medium
- Wool and silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave
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Dimensions
- 310.1 × 363.8 cm (122 1/8 × 143 1/4 in.)
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Credit Line
- Gift of Mrs. Chauncey McCormick and Mrs. Richard Ely Danielson
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Reference Number
- 1944.10
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/142548/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
