Defeat of a Queen, Triumph of an Empire
The Battle of Actium was fought on this day in 31 B.C.E.
On September 2, the Roman leader Octavian defeated the forces of Cleopatra and Mark Antony in the Battle of Actium. This event capped a long power struggle among Octavian, Antony, and Lepidus, who constituted the Second Triumvirate of the Roman Empire. The Egyptian queen Cleopatra, famed for her earlier seduction of Julius Caesar, had made Anthony into not only a romantic partner but also a political ally. With their defeat at Actium, Octavian gained control over the whole empire. Rather than live under his dominion, Cleopatra and Mark Anthony both committed suicide. Legend has it that Cleopatra killed herself with an asp, a poisonous snake that was a symbol of Egyptian royalty.
Edmonia Lewis depicts this tragic scene in her marble sculpture The Death of Cleopatra. Even in death, Lewis's queen has a regal, commanding presence. One critic wrote that this sculpture, first shown at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, was "not a beautiful work, but it was very original and ... striking.... The effects of death are represented with such skill as to be absolutely repellent. Apart from all questions of taste, however, the striking qualities of the work are undeniable, and it could only have been produced by a sculptor of very genuine endowments."
Find out more about Edmonia Lewis in our online exhibition Lost and Found: Edmonia Lewis's Cleopatra.
Pictured: Edmonia Lewis, 1843/45–after 1911, The Death of Cleopatra, carved 1876, marble, 63 x 31 1/4 x 46 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Historical Society of Forest Park, Illinois.
The Battle of Actium was fought on this day in 31 B.C.E.
On September 2, the Roman leader Octavian defeated the forces of Cleopatra and Mark Antony in the Battle of Actium. This event capped a long power struggle among Octavian, Antony, and Lepidus, who constituted the Second Triumvirate of the Roman Empire. The Egyptian queen Cleopatra, famed for her earlier seduction of Julius Caesar, had made Anthony into not only a romantic partner but also a political ally. With their defeat at Actium, Octavian gained control over the whole empire. Rather than live under his dominion, Cleopatra and Mark Anthony both committed suicide. Legend has it that Cleopatra killed herself with an asp, a poisonous snake that was a symbol of Egyptian royalty.