Cleopatra Holiday Card

Cleopatra lived from 69 to 30 BCE and reigned as queen of Ptolemaic Egypt from 51 BCE until her death. A descendant of the Macedonian general Ptolemy and companion of Alexander the Great, Cleopatra became famous for her political ambitions and strategy, as well as her affairs with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. It all ended badly with the deadly use of a cobra, symbolised here. This playful piece references the colours and light of Cleopatra's life: we juxtapose ancient Egyptian symbols and objects she would have known—the emerald, the scarab, the goddess Isis, and a sculpture of Julius Caesar—with the famous bust of herself, complete with a spinning top, a disco ball, a glass ball reflecting the horizon, and a parasol. Her life was colourful and precarious, multifaceted and playful, and we wanted to reflect that richness here. Plus, she lived near the beach.