Cleopatra : a Sphinx revisited

251 Pages·2011·2.82 MB·English

by  Margaret M.

Cleopatra

Cleopatra
A Sphinx Revisited
Edited by
Margaret M. Miles
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley Los Angeles London
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University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2011 by The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cleopatra : a sphinx revisited / edited by Margaret M. Miles.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-520-24367-5
1. Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, d. 30 B.C. 2. Egypt—History—332–

30 B.C. 3. Rome—History—Republic, 265–30 B.C. 4. Queens—
Egypt—Biography. 5. Egypt—Kings and rulers—Biography. I. Miles,
Margaret Melanie.
DT92.7.C54 2011
932'.021092—dc22
[B] 2011012446
Manufactured in the United States of America
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
In keeping with a commitment to support environmentally responsible
and sustainable printing practices, UC Press has printed this book on
50-pound Enterprise, a 30% post-consumer-waste, recycled, deinked
fiber that is processed chlorine-free. It is acid-free and meets all ansi/
niso (z 39.48) requirements.
Contents
Illustrations vii
Preface xi
Cleopatra in Egypt, Europe, and New York: An Introduction 1
Margaret M. Miles
University of California, Irvine
1 Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt 21
Sally-Ann Ashton
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
2 Cleopatra in Rome: Facts and Fantasies 37
Erich S. Gruen
University of California, Berkeley
3 Dying Like a Queen:
The Story of Cleopatra and the Asp(s) in Antiquity 54
Robert A. Gurval
University of California, Los Angeles
4 Cleopatra, Isis, and the Formation of Augustan Rome 78
Sarolta A. Takács
Sage College, Albany
5 Love, Triumph, Tragedy:
Cleopatra and Egypt in High Renaissance Rome 96
Brian A. Curran
Pennsylvania State University
6 The Amazing Afterlife of Cleopatra’s Love Potions 132
Ingrid D. Rowland
University of Notre Dame, Rome
7 HRH Cleopatra: The Last of the Ptolemies and the Egyptian
Paintings of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema 150
Margaret Mary DeMaria Smith
University of California, Irvine
8 Glamour Girls: Cleomania in Mass Culture 172
Maria Wyke and Dominic Montserrat†
University College, London
9 Every Man’s Cleopatra 195
Giuseppe Pucci
University of Siena
Epilogue
Cleopatra: The Sphinx Revisited 208
Peter Green
University of Texas, Austin, and University of Iowa
Bibliography 213
Contributors 233
Index 235
Illustrations
1. The “Obelisk” cased & machinery attached for lowering (ca. 1880). 9
The obelisk was removed from Egypt and taken to New York after
it was given to the United States by the khedive of Egypt Ismail
Pasha. Photo by Geo. Wright, courtesy Library of Congress,
LC-USZ62-49249.
2. The obelisk in Central Park, New York, often called “Cleopatra’s 10
Needle.” Photo by Rocco Leonardis.
3. Detail of replacement bronze crabs, symbols of Julius Caesar’s 11
birth month. Photo by Rocco Leonardis.
4. Pylon of the temple of Khonsu at Karnak, with relief showing 22
Ptolemy III making an offering to the Theoi Adelphoi (Ptolemy II
and Arsinoe II). Photo by Sally-Ann Ashton.
5. Marble portrait of Cleopatra VII, before 31 B.C.E. Inv. 1976.10. 31
Antikensammlung, Staatliche Museen, Berlin. Photo Bildarchiv
Preussischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY.
6. Ptolemaic Queen with vulture headress, probably Cleopatra as 33
Isis. Musei Capitolini, Rome. Photo Alinari/Art Resource, NY.
7. Bronze coin of Cleopatra VII. Diademed portrait of Cleopatra, 56
holding her son Ptolemy XV, Caesarion. British Museum, London.
Photo credit the Trustees of the British Museum/Art Resource,
NY.
8. Silver denarius of Cleopatra VII and Marc Antony, 32 B.C.E. 57
Diademed portrait of Cleopatra at lower right, stem of prow.
British Museum, London. Photo credit the Trustees of the British
Museum/Art Resource, NY.
vii
viii Illustrations
9. Guido Reni, Cleopatra (ca. 1638–39). Galleria Palatina, Palazzo 59
Pitti, Florence. Photo credit Scala/Art Resource, NY.
10. Roman Scene with the Vatican Obelisk, from Giovanni Marcanova, 101
Collectio antiquitatum (ca. 1465), Princeton University Library, MS
Garrett 158, fol. 6v. Photo courtesy Princeton University Library.
11. Pinturricchio, Procession of Apis (1493–95). Vault of the Salal dei 103
Santi in the Appartamento Borgia, Vatican Palace. Alinari/Art
Resource, New York.
12. “Columna Osiriana,” Museo Civico, Viterbo. Photo by Brian 105
Curran.
13. Hieroglyphs of the Obelisk of Caesar. Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, 111
Venice, 1499, fol. p. vi–v. SAX NE910.I8 C6 1499, Marquand
Library of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University. Gift of
Frank Jewett Mather, Jr. Photo courtesy Marquand Library,
Princeton University.
14. Sleeping Ariadne, also called the Belvedere Cleopatra, Musei 115
Vaticani. Alinari/Art Resource, New York.
15. Anthony and Cleopatra by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. The 160
Bridgeman Art Library/Getty Images.
16. Study of Columns at Philae by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. 166
Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Photo credit Victoria and
Albert Museum/Art Resource, NY.
17. Cigarette paper (1912). Private collection of D. Montserrat. Photo 175
by Dominic Montserrat.
18. Bara’s Cleopatra. 1917: Promotional portrait of American actor 179
Theda Bara (1885–1955) wearing an Egyptian headdress and breast
plates with a snake design for director J. Gordon Edwards’ film,
Cleopatra. Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images.
19. Cleopatra. 1934: Claudette Colbert (Lily Chauchoin, 1903–1996), 185
as she appears in the title role of Cecil B. DeMille’s Cleopatra.
Costume designed by Travis Banton. Photo by Hulton Archive/
Getty Images.
20. Set of Cleopatra. Film actors Richard Burton (1925–1984) and 191
Elizabeth Taylor on the set of Cleopatra. Photo by Ron Gerelli/
Getty Images.
21. A Cognocenti Contemplating ye Beauties of ye Antique by James 197
Gillray, published 1801. British Cartoon Prints Collection, Library
of Congress. Photo Library of Congress, LC-USZC4-8796.
22. Eva Prima Pandora by Jean Cousin the Elder. Louvre, Paris. Photo 199
credit Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY.
Illustrations ix
23. Death of Cleopatra (1875–76) by Hans Makart. Neue Galerie, 200
Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel, Kassel. Photo credit Bildarchiv
Preussischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY.
24. The Death of Cleopatra (1876) by Edmonia Lewis. Gift of the 202
Historical Society of Forest Park, Illinois. Smithsonian American
Art Museum, Washington, D.C. Photo credit Smithsonian
American Art Museum, Washington, D.C./Art Resource, NY.
25. Costumed visitors in Las Vegas, ca. 1998. Photo by Giuseppe Pucci. 204