Giovanni Domenico Ferrucci, The Death of Cleopatra, Oil on Canvas, 17th Century, Framed

Giovanni Domenico Ferrucci (Fiesole, Italy, 1619 – Lucca, Italy, post 1669)
Title: The Death of Cleopatra
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: without frame 85 x 70.7 cm – with frame 107 x 89.6 x 10 cm

Fairs: The International Biennial of Antiques in Florence 2024 (BIAF, International Biennial of Antiques in Florence)

Publications: Body, Love and Feelings - Works of Ancient Masters from the 16th to the 19th century. In the paintings of Giorgio Baratti private collection, Milan, exhibition catalog curated by Alessandro Marchi, (27 July - 18 September 2011), San Marino - Historical Centre, pp. 84-85; Baratti's study. Private Collections of Major Antique Dealers, exhibition catalog curated by Massimo Pulini, (6 February - 11 April 2010), Cesena, Galleria Comunale d’arte, pp. 80-81; Catalogue of Florentine Painters of the 17th and 18th Centuries. Biographies and Works – Volume I, catalog curated by Sandro Bellesi, Edizioni Polistampa, Florence, 2009, pp. 38, 143.

Provenance: Florence, Raffaello Monti Collection; Siena, Palazzo Pubblico Magazzini del Sale, Antiques Exhibition and Market, 1988; Ro Ferrarese (Ferrara), Cavallini-Sgarbi Collection.

Giovanni Domenico Ferrucci (1619-1669) was an Italian painter who came from a well-known family of sculptors and stonecutters. He was born in Fiesole, but at a young age he moved to Florence where he began studying painting under the guidance of Cesare Dandini (1596-1657). Around 1650 he moved to Lucca, where he began an intense activity related to public and private commissions and where he spent the rest of his life.
The woman depicted in this beautiful painting is Cleopatra, the last ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt, who died in 30 BC. The scene illustrates the exact moment when Cleopatra killed herself by having her breast bitten by an asp, the snake she is holding in her hand. Even though the scene is tragic, the Queen of Egypt is still portrayed seductively. Her semi-naked body is adorned with sumptuous clothes and precious jewellery. And both the jewelery and the fabrics are meticulously and accurately painted.