Repas de Cléopâtre et de Marc-Antoine

The banquet of Cleopatra and Mark Antony — the legendary feast at which Cleopatra reportedly dissolved a pearl in vinegar and drank it to win a wager — was one of the most popular historical-legendary subjects in eighteenth-century European painting. Charles Joseph Natoire painted this version in 1754, now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nîmes, as part of his series of Cleopatra subjects for that institution. The subject combined the appeal of historical spectacle with the Rococo pleasure of elaborate interiors, luxurious dress, and the drama of a powerful woman asserting her command. The pearl scene in particular was a favourite: the gesture of dissolving a priceless jewel condensed themes of extravagance, power, and erotic competition into a single iconic act. Natoire's Nîmes series on Cleopatra represents a sustained engagement with this subject that went beyond the individual picture to constitute a coherent cycle.

The banquet interior provides Natoire with a richly furnished stage — columns, hangings, vessels, attendants — in which to situate the two principal figures. He focuses attention on the central drama of Cleopatra holding or dropping the pearl, with Antony's response structuring the emotional tension. The palette is warm and opulent, suitable to the legendary luxury of the scene.