#Queen of egypt

[occvltswim]

Leontyne Price as Cleopatra in Barber's ‘Antony and Cleopatra (1966)’ — The Met Archives/Metropolitan Opera

[cleopatrastruth]

[thesorceresstemple]

« Cleopatra testing poisons on condemned prisoners », Alexandre Cabanel, 1887.

[uwmspeccoll]

A Classic Tale of Tragic Romance

The play All for Love or the World Well Lost was penned in blank verse by English poet and playwright John Dryden (1631-1700) in 1677, a significant work for Dryden and a notable contribution to the genre of heroic tragedy, with many scholars considering it one of Dryden's finest works. Our copy is from an edition printed in London for Jacob and Richard Tonson in 1740 (although the handwritten information on the paper wrapper says 1750).

The play is an acknowledged reimagining of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, which focuses on the last hours of the lives of its hero and heroine’s tumultuous relationship. Set in Alexandria, Egypt, the play follows the tragic love story of Marc Antony and Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, as they struggle to overcome political intrigue, jealousy, betrayal, and their own personal demons. The play explores themes of love, honor, duty, and the struggle between reason and passion. Ultimately, the play ends with the tragic deaths of Antony and Cleopatra, who choose to die together rather than live apart. 

John Dryden was an accomplished English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright, and in 1668 became the first Poet Laureate of England. He stated that writing this play was his attempt to reinvigorate serious drama. Dryden's play, with its exploration of complex themes and its reimagining of a classic work, was a bold and innovative contribution to the theatrical landscape.

The Tonson publishing firm was a powerhouse of London publishing for nearly a century. It was founded in 1677 by Jacob Tonson the Elder (1655-1736), who formed a close association with Dryden, publishing much of his work in the final decade of Dryden's life. In 1709, Tonson secured the publication rights to Shakespeare's works, and a year later, in partnership with his nephew Jacob Tonson II (1682-1735), he moved his shop to Shakespeare's Head in the Strand. The Tonsons' signature emblem was a small woodcut image of the Bard, commonly found on their title pages as seen here. The Tonsons listed as the publishers of this booklet are the elder Tonson's great-nephews, Jacob Tonson III (1714–1767) and Richard Tonson (1717-1772), the last of the Tonson publishing clan.

View other Classics posts.

-Melissa, Special Collections Classics Intern

[jaygaeze]

[elizabeth-halime]

[galleryofart]

Cleopatra's Feast

Artist: Jacob Jordaens  (Flemish, 1593–1678)

Date: 1653

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia

Description

Jordaens. Cleopatra (68-30 BC), Queen of Egypt, was famed not only for her intelligence and her beauty, but also for her extravagant behaviour. Once, seeking to amaze with her wealth her beloved, the Roman commander Mark Antony, she dissolved a large pearl in a glass of vinegar, and then drank it down to the very last. Jordaens depicted the moment when Cleopatra drops the pearl earring into the vessel, while Mark Antony, his companion and a negro servant freeze in silent amazement, experiencing a mixture of envy, regret and admiration. Only the court jester shows with the gesture of his right hand and his grotesque grin the ridiculous nature of Cleopatra's wastefulness. The allegorical composition was seen as a judgment on Pride or Vanity, and this didactic subtext was typical of the Flemish school.

[nickysfacts]

All hail Nefertiti, who turned her back on the old ways!𓆸

[somewherelostinbooks]

The Royal Diaries- Cleopatra

Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile By Kristiana Gregory Established “Dear America” author Kristiana Gregory kicks off “The Royal Diaries” with the captivating story of a young Cleopatra’s life. While her father is in hiding after attempts on his life, twelve-year-old Cleopatra records in her diary how she fears for her own safety and hopes to survive to become Queen of Egypt some…

[maked-artyshenanigans]

So, I saw this image on Facebook, and it was supposedly showing what Queen Nefertiti would have looked like in real life:

Now, I thought this AI generated garbage was just truly terrible on a number of levels; first off, she looks wayyyyyy too modern - her makeup is very “Hollywood glamour”, she looks airbrushed and de-aged, and as far as I’m aware, Ancient Egyptians didn’t have mascara, glitter-based eyeshadows and lip gloss. Secondly, her features are exceptionally whitewashed in every sense - this is pretty standard for AI as racial bias is prevalent in feeding AI algorithms, but I genuinely thought a depiction of such a known individual would not exhibit such euro-centric features. Thirdly, the outfit was massively desaturated and didn’t take pigment loss into consideration, and while I *do* like the look of the neck attire, it's not at all accurate (plus, again, AI confusion on the detailing is evident).

So, this inspired me to alter the image on the left to be more accurate based off the sculpture’s features. I looked into Ancient Egyptian makeup and looked at references for kohl eyeliner and clay-based facial pigment (rouge was used on cheeks, charcoal-based powder/paste was used to darken and elongate eyebrows), and I looked at pre-existing images of Nefertiti, both her mummy and other reconstructions. While doing this, I found photos of a 3D scanned sculpture made by scientists at the University of Bristol and chose to collage the neck jewellery over the painting (and edited the lighting and shadows as best as I could).

Something I see a lot of in facial recreations of mummies is maintaining the elongated and skinny facial features as seen on preserved bodies - however, fat, muscle and cartilage shrink/disappear post mortem, regardless of preservation quality; Queen Nefertiti had art created of her in life, and these pieces are invaluable to developing an accurate portrayal of her, whether stylistic or realistic in nature.

And hey, while I don't think my adjustments are perfect (especially the neck area), I *do* believe it is a huge improvement to the original image I chose to work on top of.

I really liked working on this project for the last few days, and I think I may continue to work on it further to perfect it. But, until then, I hope you enjoy!

Remember, likes don't help artists but reblogs do!

[afrodytis]

"Queen of Egypt"

Photography: Nicoline Patricia Malina

Model: Zahara Davis

[cleopatrastruth]

[illustratus]

[surfingkaliyuga]

“First Queen II: Sabaku no Joō” Yoshitaka Amano 1990

[landrylovesmatcha]

guess who’s finally reading queen of the damned