The Death of Cleopatra

The Death of Cleopatra (Spanish: La Muerte de Cleopatra ), also known simply as Cleopatra, is an 1881 painting made by the Filipino painter Juan Luna. The famous painting was a silver medalist or second prize winner during the 1881 National Exposition of Fine Arts in Madrid (Exposicion Nacional de Bellas Artes). The 1881 Madrid painting contest was Luna's first art exposition. Because of the exposure, Luna received a pension scholarship at the Ayuntamiento de Manila. After the painting competition, Luna sold it for 5,000 Spanish pesetas, the highest price for a painting at the time. As Luna's "graduation work", The Death of Cleopatra was acquired by the Spanish government for one thousand duros.