The Banquet of Cleopatra

A pupil of Sebastiano Ricci to whom this canvas was formerly attributed, Francesco Fontebasso spent a brief period of time in Rome before returning to his native Venice, where he produced a series of engravings after Ricci's paintings. He was soon in some demand as a fresco painter. In 1734 he decorated the ceiling of the church of the Gesuiti in Venice, and in 1736 painted a fresco cycle for the church of the Annunziata in Trento. He also worked for members of the Venetian aristocracy such as the Barbarigo family, for whom he painted decorative frescoes in the Palazzo Duodo and the Palazzo Barbarigo. In 1761 Fontebasso visited St. Petersburg at the invitation of the Empress Catherine II. He remained there for almost two years, completing a number of decorative projects for the Winter Palace and other Imperial palaces, as well as painting numerous portraits and genre scenes. Although he was appointed a Professor at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, Fontebasso chose to return to Venice in 1762. He became a professor at the Accademia Veneziana, rising to the position of principe in 1768.

As a history painter, Fontebasso's works recall Ricci in composition, such as The Magdalen Anointing Christ's Feet (The Royal Collection, Kensington Palace), while the vivid characterisation and melodramatic postures of the figures have obvious links with the world of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. As such, the present painting is likely to date from the middle of the century.

Professor Marina Magrini, on the basis of photographs, believes that this painting is very close to a composition of the same subject and size, in the Palazzo Madama, Turin. We are also grateful to Professor Ugo Ruggeri for confirming the attribution on the basis of photographs.