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Lot Essay
Working in the 'grand style', the skilled sculptor Jéramec received acclaim for his depictions of historical and biblical figures. In the years following the completion of the present marble, which was first exhibited at the 1910 Salon, the artist also exhibited a figural group of Ruth et Booz at the 1912 Salon and La reine de Saba at the 1913 Salon.
Here Jéramec captures the moment before the Ptolemaic Queen allows an asp (Egyptian cobra) to inject its venom thus bringing on her death and marking the end of the wars of the Roman Republic. Her royal diadem prominently on display, the artist deftly depicts Cleopatra as determined with furrowed brows, yet her downcast eyes reveal sense of resignation as she faces her demise, her body pressed back against her throne in defence as the serpent bears its poisonous fangs.
The 19th century saw a renewed interest in the celebrated ruler, particularly among artists to whom she incarnated a romanticised vision of the Orient and Africa, serving as a symbol of exoticism. This is epitomised in such celebrated depictions as the painting Cléopâtre devant César by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1866, private collection) and the sculpture of the same title by Jean-Baptiste (dit Auguste) Clesinger (1869). Like Jéramec, other artists found inspiration in the Queen’s demise, such as the marble The Death of Cleopatra by Edmonia Lewis (1876, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.), and the paintings The Death of Cleopatra by Jean André Rixens (1874, Musée des Augustins, Toulouse), and Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Condemned Prisoners (1887, Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp). This continued into Belle Époque and early 20th century, further catalysed by the renowned actress Sarah Bernhardt’s iconic portrayal of Cléopâtre in Victorien Sardou's play of the same name, which debuted September 1890, Paris.
Here Jéramec captures the moment before the Ptolemaic Queen allows an asp (Egyptian cobra) to inject its venom thus bringing on her death and marking the end of the wars of the Roman Republic. Her royal diadem prominently on display, the artist deftly depicts Cleopatra as determined with furrowed brows, yet her downcast eyes reveal sense of resignation as she faces her demise, her body pressed back against her throne in defence as the serpent bears its poisonous fangs.
The 19th century saw a renewed interest in the celebrated ruler, particularly among artists to whom she incarnated a romanticised vision of the Orient and Africa, serving as a symbol of exoticism. This is epitomised in such celebrated depictions as the painting Cléopâtre devant César by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1866, private collection) and the sculpture of the same title by Jean-Baptiste (dit Auguste) Clesinger (1869). Like Jéramec, other artists found inspiration in the Queen’s demise, such as the marble The Death of Cleopatra by Edmonia Lewis (1876, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.), and the paintings The Death of Cleopatra by Jean André Rixens (1874, Musée des Augustins, Toulouse), and Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Condemned Prisoners (1887, Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp). This continued into Belle Époque and early 20th century, further catalysed by the renowned actress Sarah Bernhardt’s iconic portrayal of Cléopâtre in Victorien Sardou's play of the same name, which debuted September 1890, Paris.