German School, 18th Century, Antony And Cleopatra With The River God Nile

GERMAN SCHOOL, mid-18th century
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA WITH THE RIVER GOD NILUS

Pen and ink with wash (possibly sepia and ink, with watercolor highlights) on laid paper
30 × 20 cm / 11.8 × 7.9 in
with margins: 36 × 27 cm / 14.2 × 10.6 in
Unframed

Watermark: identical with Referenznummer DE0960-BachP390_8, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (StabiBerlin), Mus.ms. Bach P 390, fol. 8. Motif: three letters “ICP” in a banderole, without countermarks.
Variants recorded: DE0960-BachP390_13, dated between 1750 and 1754.

Provenance: Private collection

The watermark of the paper, identical to reference DE0960-BachP390_8 from the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, allows the drawing to be securely dated to the mid-18th century. The sheet is executed in pen, ink, and sepia wash, a technique typical of academic exercises by German artists, often working in Italy.
The composition represents a compilation based on engraved sources. The figures, presumably Antony and Cleopatra, may have been adapted from the widespread motif of Paris and Helen: the artist omitted Paris’s Phrygian cap and introduced the figure of the river god Nilus, which gave the scene a new context and an Egyptian reference.