Cleopatra
After Guido Reni — engraved by Shenton & Bowney
The Work
This engraving reproduces Cleopatra with the Asp, painted around 1628 by the Italian Baroque master Guido Reni (1575–1642), one of the leading figures of the Bolognese School. The painting captures Cleopatra's final moment, gazing upward as the asp's venom takes hold — a composition Reni is said to have created in an informal competition against fellow painters Palma Giovane, Nicolas Régnier, and Guercino, with his version judged the finest of the four. The original hangs today in the Royal Collection. It became one of Reni's most admired and frequently reproduced works, engraved and copied across Europe and America for centuries after.
This particular engraving was produced by Shenton & Bowney and published by George Barrie of Philadelphia — the same publisher behind The Model (Catalogue No. 0044) elsewhere in this collection, part of his large series of fine engraved reproductions aimed at the American collector's market in the late nineteenth century.
- Year
- 19th century engraving, after a painting of c. 1628
- Medium
- Steel engraving on paper
- Image size
- 200 mm x 242 mm
- Framed size
- 530 mm x 630 mm
- Catalogue
- 0054
Provenance
I found this piece through a Facebook seller specialising in antique prints, and bought a large selection from him — some destined for framing at the studio, some kept for myself.
Ask about the price, make an offer, or simply ask a question — payment is arranged directly (bank transfer, PayID, or cash).