The young Cleopatra and the fortune teller

Description of the artwork

Our painting has been exhibited in 1870 during the Amateurs Society of Culture in Rome, titled Cleopatra giovinetta consultaeun'indovina (The Young Cleopatra and the augur). It is the reflection of the fulfilment of the artist through neo-pompeian style and the influence of Egyptian art in the second part of the 19^th century. In the heart of an extravagantly decorated Palace, seated on her throne covered with damask fabric and ornamented with lion head, Cleopatra is carefully listening to the augur. In front of the protective god Ra, an old woman is interpreting the signs she read in the stars. In the Ancient Egypt, divination was very common. Mixing mathematics, science and religion, the prediction was everywhere and set the tempo of everyday life in the city. The god Isis and many of Egyptian gods are represented in the background. 

A mystical and mysterious atmosphere emanates from this painting. The abundance of the colours and details plunge us into the private life and also the legend of the Egyptian queen. Anatolio Scifoni realized through this painting a fantastic piece of art with a great sense of precision.