Cleopatra and Antony Enjoying Supper from The Story of Caesar and Cleopatra
c. 1680
After a design by Justus van Egmont (Flemish, 1601–1674) Woven at the workshop of Gerard Peemans (Flemish, 1637/39–1725) Brussels
Brussels
To impress Antony, Cleopatra promised to organize the most lavish supper he had ever attended. The meal itself was ordinary, but at its end, Cleopatra dissolved a pearl in a cup of vinegar and drank it. This event was not recorded by Plutarch; it derives from Pliny’s Natural History (1st century A.D.).
Wool and silk, slit and double interlocking tapestry weave Warp: Count: 9 warps per cm; wool: S-ply of four Z-spun elements; diameters: 0.8–1.1 mm Weft: Count: varies from 18 to 46 wefts per cm; wool: S-ply of two Z-spun elements; diameters: 0.3–0.8 mm; silk: pairs of S-ply of two Z-twisted elements; diameters: 0.6–1.0 mm