#green robe

Og Wizard of Speed and Time appreciation post because I really like him

In Christian iconography, saints were traditionally portrayed with objects associated with the saint’s life or legend, to ensure that the saint would be recognizable to the viewer; these objects were called the saint’s attributes. Here, El Greco presents Saint John with one such attribute: a cup, here taking the shape of an ornate golden chalice of a type that was usual during El Greco’s lifetime. The little winged serpent that writhes inside it alludes to an episode in Jacobus de Voragine’s Legenda Aurea, a medieval compilation of saints’ lives, according to which John had to prove the truth of his preaching by drinking from a poisoned cup without dying. In this example, the saint directs his gaze at some point outside the painting while his slender left hand gesticulates as if inviting someone to look at the chalice he holds in his right; the fact that we do not see his interlocutor gives the painting an intriguing air.

Collection: Harvard Art Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Octavius Augustus Caesar, nephew and adoptive son of Julius Ceasar, then known as Octavian, but later as the Emperor Augustus, is paying Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, a visit of condolence following the death of Mark Antony in the Battle of Actium (31 BC). He stands at the left and bids the kneeling Cleopatra, dressed in a green robe, to rise. Behind her is a couch beside which two servant girls are standing. In the background, on the right, two Romans stand beside a Doric portico. The subject is taken from Plutarch's Life of Mark Antony (75 AD).

This painting is among the few known works from Berruguete's formative years in Florence and Rome , the latter depicted in the background. The bridle bit, the hand on the breast and the laurel wreath allude to the subjugation of the instincts by reason and temperament.

We hope you enjoy this piece as much as we enjoyed creating it! Happy adventuring! 🏞️💚

I just want to be adored 🥹.