Francesco Trevisani
(Koper 1656 – Rome 1746)
The banquet of Mark Antony and Cleopatra
Oil on canvas, 255×254
A noble counterpart to Dido and the Abduction of Helen, commissioned by Cardinal Fabrizio to balance the other great ‘stories’ already in the Gallery, this magnificent painting provides a sumptuous setting worthy of a queen’s court. Impressed by so much pomp, Antony was nevertheless convinced that he could match and win the ruler of Egypt in offering the most expensive dinner, challenged her with the rarest foods: Cleopatra showed him how millions of sestertii could be burned with a single gesture by dissolving a precious pearl in vinegar. The story told by Pliny is illustrated by Trevisani with musical lightness and richness of detail: the silverware, the robes and above all the jester in the foreground give the scene a quality of refined and precious late Baroque theatre. The painting was paid for in 1702: to the 250 scudi agreed upon, 50 were added as a gift for a truly successful work.
