Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Condemned Prisoners

Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Condemned Prisoners

Artist	Alexandre Cabanel
Year	1887
Type	oil on canvas
Dimensions	87.6 cm × 148 cm (34.5 in × 58 in)
Location	Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp

Study for the painting

Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Condemned Prisoners (Cléopâtre essayant des poisons sur des condamnés à mort) is an 1887 painting by the French artist Alexandre Cabanel. It is now in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp. It shows Cleopatra VII sitting at a banquet observing the effects of poisons on prisoners condemned to death.

Cabanel had always had a taste for historical and orientalist themes and when the painting was first seen by the Parisian public he was feted by the critics and showered with honours. Several international collectors attempted to buy the painting.