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Open 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Through September 5
Exhibitions & Events
Featured event:

Block Party
Join us June 6
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Cleopatra

cast c. 1600-1615

Nicolò Roccatagliata

Associated Names

Nicolò Roccatagliata

Artist, Genoese-Venetian, 1553 - 1653

The sculpture depicts a standing nude figure of a woman with a robust, curvy body and curly hair. She is engaged in a dynamic pose, with her arms wrapped around a snake coiling around her body. The woman leans against a tall, intricately decorated pedestal, which features scrollwork and a sturdy base. The sculpture is crafted from a dark bronze material, which gives it a rich and lustrous appearance with subtle highlights and shadows. The figure's expression, along with her stance and the snake, creates a sense of movement and interaction within the composition. The sculpture is likely small to medium-sized, suitable for display on a mantel or within a collection of similar works.

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Artwork overview

Medium

bronze
Credit Line

Gift of Robert H. Smith/Robert H. Smith Collection
Dimensions

height: 22.4 cm (8 13/16 in.)
Accession Number

2022.181.69

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

2012

Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Princeton University Art Museum, 2012-2013, no. 22, repro.

Bibliography

2015

Schmidt, Eike D., et al. Bronze, Boxwood, and Ivory in the Robert H. Smith Collection of Renaissance Sculpture. London, 2015: 25-28, repro. no. 69, back cover.

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