CLEOPATRA - Softcover

SUSAN WALKER

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0714119431 ISBN 13: 9780714119434

Publisher: BRITISH MUSEUM, 1999

Synopsis

Fabled for her sexual allure and cunning intelligence, Cleopatra VII of Egypt has fascinated generations of admirers and detractors since her tumultuous life ended in suicide on Octavians' capture of Egypt in 30 BC. The last of the Ptolemaic monarchs who had ruled Egypt as Hellenistic Greek kings and Egyptian pharaohs for 300 years, Cleopatra created her own mythology, becoming an icon in her own lifetime and even more so after her death. This book explores the ways in which she was depicted in antiquity, within the context of the iconography of contemporary coinage, statues and other images of Egyptian, Greek and Roman rulers, and then examines the image of Cleopatra from the Renaissance to modern times, as seen in plays, opera, painting, ceramics and even jewellery. Exciting new research has revealed seven Egyptian-style statues believed to represent Cleopatra, and two portraits probably commissioned in Rome while she lived there with Julius Caesar. Published to accompany a major international exhibition, the book will be well-illustrated, with 450 photographs, most of them in colour.

About this title

About the Author:

Susan Walker is Deputy Keeper in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities at the British Museum. She is the author of Roman Art and Greek and Roman Portraits and the coauthor of Ancient Faces: Mummy Portraits from Roman Egypt. Peter Higgs is Curator in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities at the British Museum.

Review:

"A hefty work of lively expertise and sumptuous . . . illustrations."--Judith Thurman, The New Yorker

"She was, of course, the greatest seductress the world has ever seen. . . . It is hard to think of any ingredient that her story does not have. She was an intellectual, wrote books, took her lover to her library and read rare manuscripts to him for the pleasure of it. . . . She spoke nine languages fluently; she was a capable and efficient ruler as well as a flamboyant one. . . . Perhaps the most compelling conundrum about the queen, though, is what did Cleopatra look like? . . . We have images in our minds of a slim, dusky enchantress, Egyptian straight hair, the headdress of cobras above darkly kohled eyes. The truth is hard to establish; but it is certainly different from that."--Julian Champkin, Sunday Times Magazine (London)
"There is enough evidence here of Cleopatra's own image creation to demonstrate that, if we find her hard to know, it is not only because the truth about her has been overlaid by 2000 years worth of erotic and racist fantasy, but because she herself was such a protean and ingenious self publicist."--Lucy Hughes-Hallet, Time Literary Supplement

"[A] lavish catalog. . . . The historical and legendary Cleopatra VII is brought to life through 394 objects from 35 museums and private collections in Africa, Europe, and North America."--Library Journal

"Cleopatra of Egypt will be a welcome addition to the library of any Cleopatra enthusiast. The volume is beautifully produced and the images are gorgeous. . . . [It] succeeds in bringing its audience into the world of Cleopatra with thorough analysis of the ancient evidence and plenty of helpful background information."--Prudence J. Jones, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"This sumptuously illustrated catalog [is a] . . . browsable homage to one of the most intriguing figures in all of antiquity. . . "--Booklist

"This hefty, intelligent book attempts to pin down the elusive identity and mysterious story of the fascinating woman who ruled Egypt from 51-30 B.C. . . . It is the book's color plates and illustrations, however, that give it life, an energy as forceful, as vivacious, and as fascinating as Cleopatra herself has been for twenty-one centuries."--Karen McCarthy, ForeWord

"This magnificent publication . . . features 11 scholarly but very readable
essays and sumptuous photographs of the exhibits. It provides almost everything the reader is likely to want to know about this celebrated figure. . . . This beautiful book and its accessible text will appeal to specialists and nonspecialists alike."--Choice

"Detailed and cutting-edge enough for the specialist and accessible enough for the casual exhibition-goer whose interest has been piqued by these antiquities."--Sarah Lawson, The Art Book

"A lavishly illustrated, informative volume. . . . Cleopatra herself appears in all the guises that enabled her to maintain her dominion over her complicated realm."--Ingrid D. Rowland, The New Republic

"Cleopatra of Egypt is an appropriately spectacular catalogue produced in connection with an exhibition that was held in Rome, London, and the Field Museum in Chicago. . . The academic community as well as the general public owe a debt of gratitude to Susan Walker and the curators of the British Museum's Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities for their efforts in publishing this remarkable collection from lending museums in Egypt, Europe, Russia, and North America."--Anatole Mori, The Classical Outlook

About this edition

• Publisher: BRITISH MUSEUM
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0714119431
• ISBN 13: 9780714119434
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384