Anthony and Cleopatra

Jan Steen's handling of the Anthony and Cleopatra subject, painted around 1668, demonstrates his willingness to venture beyond domestic genre into theatrical history painting. The story of Cleopatra dissolving a pearl in vinegar as a wager against Antony—drawn from Pliny's Natural History—was a popular subject for seventeenth-century painters as both a demonstration of luxurious extravagance and an allegory of love overcoming prudence. Steen interprets the scene with his customary genre sensibility, grounding the classical narrative in a festive banquet setting populated with Dutch types.

The theatrical banquet setting allows Steen to deploy his skill at festive crowd scenes, with multiple figures reacting to Cleopatra's gesture. The central pair is illuminated more sharply than the surrounding company. Rich costume detail and table still life elements assert the opulence the narrative demands.