Follower of Guido Reni (1575-1642) Cleopatra, mid-17th century. Oil painting on a hand-cut octagonal oak panel, approx. 25 x 19 cm. Octagonal frame crafted from gilded segments of a 19th-century frame, approx. 32.5 x 27 cm. Unsigned - Scuola del Banti or Bansi. Inscription on the reverse. This work depicts Cleopatra, the last empress of Ptolemaic Egypt, according to ancient tradition: the moment of her suicide in 30 BC, when she allowed herself to be bitten on the breast by an Egyptian cobra in Alexandria. The painting is in an excellent state of preservation. The pictorial layer remains intact and stable, preserving its beautiful rosy tones. Cleaned about fifty years ago, it shows some light dust accumulation and small minor spots. Discreet retouching is visible. A hole and a fine crack, resulting from an old wall-nailing, have remained stable since 2016. Painted on a hand-cut oak panel dating from the first half of the 17th century or earlier, this small object has weathered the centuries with dignity. Careful packaging guaranteed.
