Story of Caesar and Cleopatra

The tapestry series Story of Caesar and Cleopatra were woven at the workshops of Gerard Peemans and Willem van Leefdael in Brussels. The present tapestry from the series depicts Caesar Sends a Messenger to Cleopatra. It shows a moment during the Egyptian Civil war.

After Caesar defeated Pompey, his rival for control of the Roman Republic, Pompey fled to Egypt, pursued by Caesar. In Egypt Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII was fighting a civil war against his sister, wife, and co-regent, Cleopatra VII. Ptolemy had Pompey murdered, offending Caesar, who then involved himself in the Egyptian civil war. Caesar deposed Ptolemy and sought an alliance with Cleopatra. Depicted here is Cleopatra receiving Caesar’s messenger, the beginning of their alliance and love affair.

The tapestry, made after a design by Justus van Egmont, displays all the characteristics of the Flemish High Baroque: monumental figures, dramatic gestures, expressive faces, and minimal backgrounds. The story of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar was a popular subject for tapestry by the time these works were woven in the 17th century.