This lavishly illustrated catalogue coincides with a major international exhibition celebrating images of Cleopatra. It explores how she was depicted during her own era, in works ranging from coins to life-size sculpture. Exciting new discoveries are featured -- including seven Egyptian-style statues believed to represent Cleopatra and two portraits probably commissioned while she was living in Rome with Julius Caesar. The book also examines interpretations of Cleopatra from the Renaissance to modern times, as seen in paintings, ceramics, jewelry, plays, operas, and film. In addition, recent archaeological finds from Alexandria (Cleopatra's capital) and from Rome illustrate aspects of life in Cleopatra's day.

Images of Cleopatra's beauty and power are captured in three hundred full-color plates and fifty black-and-white illustrations. Contributions from key international scholars further illuminate this perennially intriguing subject and the attraction she has exerted on artists through the centuries.