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English School, (18th century), Allegorical portrait of a lady in deshabille, possibly as Cleopatra,

Currency:GBP Category:Everything Else / Other Start Price:NA Estimated At:300.00 - 500.00 GBP
English School, (18th century), Allegorical portrait of a lady in deshabille, possibly as Cleopatra,
English School, (18th century), Allegorical portrait of a lady in deshabille, possibly as Cleopatra, holding a bunch of flowers in her left arm, and grasping a serpent in her left hand, within an extensive landscape, oil on canvas, 125 x 101.5 cm in a composite plaster frame applied with repeating leaf and berry motifs In the present condition, it is difficult to tell if the snake is entwined around the sitter's arm; if this is the case, the allusion is to Eurydice, the wife of Orpheus, who fleeing from an unwanted suitor, trod on a sanke, and died from its bite (Ovid, Metamorphsis, 10: 1-10). However, it seems more likely that the allusion is to Cleopatra, who is often depicted holding a snake to her breast. (see illustration) £300-500