Cleopatra

Art Historical Context

This engraving of Cleopatra, created around 1598 by Jan Muller after a design by the sculptor Adriaen de Vries, captures the legendary Egyptian queen in a moment of quiet drama. Muller, a skilled Dutch printmaker, translated de Vries’s sculptural vision into a detailed engraving on laid paper. The medium allowed the image to reach a wide audience beyond those who could view the original sculpture, a common practice in the late Renaissance when prints helped spread artistic ideas across Europe. Measuring roughly 38 by 25 centimeters in the plate, the work reflects the elegant, elongated forms ...