The Death of Cleopatra. Laterally reversed copy after Caspar Netscher in the Staatliche Kunsthalle in Karlsruhe 1813

Julie Lütken painted "The Death of Cleopatra" using oil on canvas sometime before her death in 1816, copying a work by Caspar Netscher. The smooth surface gives little clue as to the labor involved, but consider that the pigments would have been mixed by hand, with painstaking effort to achieve these luminous colors. Lütken’s choice of subject speaks volumes; Cleopatra, the last active ruler of Egypt, taking her own life to resist Roman rule. In this picture, the Queen is attended by only one maid, in contrast to the many servants that would have labored tirelessly to meet her needs. This speaks to the power dynamics inherent in artistic patronage; Lütken, a woman artist, relies on the support of wealthy elites, even as she depicts a story of resistance to power. Lütken’s painting isn't just a visual spectacle, but a meditation on the complex relationship between materials, making, and social context.