Cleopatra

By the mid-1560s, Michele Tosini had moved away from the more muted tonalities of the Ghirlandaio workshop under Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio, adopting a lighter, more reflective palette influenced by Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling. He often incorporated cangiante effects, seen in Cleopatra’s drapery, simulating the play of light on shot silk fabrics. This fine panel can be placed with a group of female figures, in half- or bust-length, and featuring common motifs, including: Lucretia and Leda (both Rome, Galleria Borghese); a Saint Mary Magdalen (Sotheby’s, New York, 28 January 2010, lot 196); a Judith (Christie's, London, 27 April 1928, lot 41); and the Head of a Woman (Christie's, London, 7 December 2018, lot 171).