Cleopatra

Cleopatra soaks the pearl of her necklace in a bowl one has to assume filled with vinegar, in the presence of three female musicians and a servant.

Lost, all the lordly pearls that were
Wrung from the sea’s heart, from the green
Coasts of the Indian gulf-river;
Lost, all the loves of the world—so keen
Towards this queen for love of her.

This illustration was created for the eponymous poem by Algernon Swinburne.