This painting depicting “The Death of Cleopatra” belongs to the circle of Fedele Fischetti, a painter active in eighteenth-century Naples and among the leading interpreters of the late-Baroque and Neoclassical figurative culture of the Bourbon Kingdom. In fact, Fischetti worked in a context strongly influenced by the classicist tendencies promoted by European courts, contributing to the diffusion of a balanced and composed pictorial language.
The scene represents the final moment of the story of the Egyptian queen, shown lying on a bed, now lifeless, surrounded by female attendants and male figures reacting with measured but eloquent gestures. However, the compositional arrangement does not insist on extreme dramatic effects, but rather constructs an ordered narrative, where each figure finds a precise placement within the space. Moreover, the architectural setting, with columns and perspectival openings, helps to define a solemn and classicizing context.
From a stylistic point of view, the characteristics of Neapolitan Neoclassical painting clearly emerge, in which drawing assumes a central role. Consequently, the figures appear outlined with clear contours and well-calibrated volumes, while the light, diffused and uniform, avoids overly accentuated contrasts. At the same time, the chromatic range, composed of warm and harmonious tones, reinforces the unity of the scene.
The work reflects a vision of history as a moral and theatrical example, consistent with the figurative culture of the time. “The Death of Cleopatra” therefore stands as a balanced representation, in which compositional rigour and narrative clarity define the expressive value of the image.
Description: Oil on canvas, H cm 89.5×133.
Hammer Price: € 6.300,00
Auction 37 – 16 April 2020 – Paintings – Silver – Furniture – Art Works
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