These cookies do not collect personal data. Interestingly, they also include the cookies that are set to comply with European "cookie laws" (e.g.: this banner sets cookies to remember your privacy preferences). ![]() These cookies are essential for the website to function properly. Hair and eye color, on the other hand, are more trustworthy. In Roman paintings, the only women who were depicted with darker skin were those from Sub-Saharan Africa. So Cleopatra’s frescoes in Pompeii do not necessarily represent her true skin tone. This artistic convention was prevalent in the Mediterranean World at the time -still is in some European paintings. Other people considered unmanly, like children and slaves, were also painted with white skin. Meanwhile, virtuous Roman women were supposed to be inside the house. Thus, they were expected to be quite tanned. And Roman men were supposed to be outdoors, exercising or taking part in military campaigns. That is due to an artistic convention: men were represented with dark skin and women with white. In Roman paintings, skin tone is not to be taken too seriously. Tomb of the Lionesses in Tarquinia, Italy, c. He reports seeing these paintings.Ī woman on the left, a man on the right. The Greek writer Plutarch was born a few decades after Cleopatra’s death. There were public paintings that portrayed Cleopatra in the Roman world. Or perhaps, the owner of the house was influenced by Cleopatra’s fashion sense. One of these portraits is in a house full of Egyptian motives. But they do not have the cupid or the other props. The other two paintings found at Pompeii and Herculaneum (a town near Pompeii) show a similar woman. So the probability that this painting represents Cleopatra is high. And there is also a painted procession, like those that took place in Egypt. So the painting seems to be mimicking the statue.įurthermore, Egyptian boats are depicted in the same room. She is wearing Cleopatra’s distinct hairstyle (a ‘melon’ hairdo), has a cupid on her shoulder, and is coming out of what could be a temple. Some believed the boy represented Caesarion, the son of Caesar and Cleopatra.Īnd this Pompeian painting shows a woman with a face similar to that seen in Cleopatra’s coins. In the statue, Cleopatra is portrayed as Venus (the Roman version of the goddess Isis) with a little boy cupid on her shoulder. Julius Caesar placed the gigantic statue of his lover Cleopatra in a temple in Rome -the Roman writers report the move unleashed a scandal in the city. ![]() One of the paintings seems to copy a sculpture of Cleopatra. Three paintings found in Pompeii and its surroundings are thought to represent Cleopatra. So it is not surprising that the followers of the cult were enthusiastic about her. Cleopatra identified with Isis, and she dressed like the goddess in public events in Egypt.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |