Feestmaal van Cleopatra 1675 - 1680

Editor: We're looking at Gerard de Lairesse's "Feast of Cleopatra," created between 1675 and 1680. It's an engraving housed here at the Rijksmuseum. The scene is packed with figures in a grand setting, almost theatrical, but something about the starkness of the engraving feels… restrained. What's your take on this depiction? Curator: Ah, Cleopatra. Lairesse always did have a flair for the dramatic, didn't he? But it's true, even in his more exuberant scenes, there’s always this sense of… contemplation. For me, this isn’t just a feast, it's a tableau of power, love, and impending doom all rolled into one exquisitely etched scene. Think of Cleopatra dissolving that pearl in wine - an act of audacious extravagance, or a sign of something more significant? Editor: Doom, how so? Curator: Well, consider the context. Lairesse was working in a time when the Dutch Republic was flexing its mercantile muscles, right? This engraving idealizes and cautions excess through the historical narrative about Cleopatra. See how Caesar almost passively observes while she is doing the pearl stunt? Editor: He seems skeptical, maybe a bit annoyed? It makes her display seem almost… childish. Curator: Precisely! There is a lot happening and it requires the viewer to read between the lines, what appears simple at first glance. That tension, that quiet undercurrent, is what makes this more than just a historical illustration; it’s an examination of character, ambition, and legacy. You pick up more each time you visit. Editor: It is certainly thought-provoking. Thanks, I think I see the characters, story, and intent now. Curator: It's all a bit delicious, isn’t it? A feast for the eyes and the mind, which, if you think about it, is what art should be all about.