Mid-Century Surrealist Painting Cleopatra’s Last Dream The Death of a Queen
Wenda Jerrum – Death of Cleopatra, c.1960 – Signed British Surrealist Watercolour Original Mid-Century Historical & Mythological Watercolour | Professionally Framed
Highlights
• Original signed watercolour by Wenda Jerrum
• Dating to circa 1960
• Dramatic depiction of the Death of Cleopatra
• British mid-century figurative painting with Surrealist-inflected narrative qualities
• Extraordinary mythological imagery suggestive of the Egyptian Bennu
• Signed “Wenda Jerrum” lower right
• Professionally presented in a Larson Juhl Canaletto frame
• Museum-grade AR70 protective glazing
• Formerly held by Grays & Sons Carlisle LTD
• Recently sourced from a private UK collection
• Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®
• Supplied with a Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution from Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®
Introduction
An evocative and highly individual original watercolour by British artist Wenda Jerrum, presenting a dreamlike interpretation of the final moments of Cleopatra VII.
Painted circa 1960, “Death of Cleopatra” occupies an intriguing territory between historical narrative, theatrical figuration and Surrealist-inflected fantasy.
Cleopatra stands at the centre of a sweeping composition populated by dramatically gesturing figures and dominated by an enormous winged creature. The familiar historical subject consequently becomes something more psychologically complex: a meditation upon mortality, sovereignty, destiny and transformation.
Catalogue Details
Artist: Wenda Jerrum
Title: Death of Cleopatra
Date: Circa 1960
Medium: Watercolour
Subject: Cleopatra VII / Historical and mythological narrative
Style: Mid-century British figurative painting with Surrealist-inflected elements
Signature: Signed “Wenda Jerrum” lower right
Frame: Larson Juhl Canaletto moulded frame
Glazing: Museum-grade AR70 protective glazing
Presentation: Ready to hang
Catalogue Note
The theatrical quality of Jerrum’s composition is immediately compelling.
Figures appear to twist and recoil around Cleopatra, their elongated forms and flowing garments lending the scene an almost suspended quality — as though a moment of extreme drama has been arrested within a dream.
An enormous winged bird provides the composition with its most unusual mythological element. Its presence invites comparison with the Bennu, the sacred bird of ancient Egyptian religion associated with creation, renewal and rebirth and frequently connected in later interpretation with the phoenix tradition.
Read in this context, the imagery creates an intriguing dialogue between Cleopatra’s death and the concept of rebirth.
Jerrum’s treatment of space contributes further to the dreamlike character. The geometric chequered floor creates artificial perspective while figures overlap and occupy deliberately uncertain spatial relationships.
The palette is similarly expressive: cool blues and whites are set against golds, browns, pinks and blacks, creating alternating passages of restraint and heightened drama.
Rather than functioning solely as historical illustration, “Death of Cleopatra” presents its subject through a distinctly imaginative mid-century visual language.
The Sitter
Cleopatra VII Philopator (69–30 BCE) was the final active ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt and remains one of antiquity’s most recognisable historical figures.
Her political career, alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, and eventual death following Octavian’s victory have inspired centuries of literature and visual art.
Here Cleopatra is treated not merely as a historical ruler but almost as an archetype of sovereignty, tragedy and self-determination, surrounded by imagery encouraging a more symbolic reading of her final moments.
The Artist
Wenda Jerrum remains a comparatively little-documented British artist.
The present work nevertheless demonstrates a distinctive visual vocabulary characterised by narrative ambition, expressive figuration, fluid watercolour handling and imaginative symbolic imagery.
The painting bears the artist’s clear signature, “Wenda Jerrum”, at the lower right.
In the absence of an extensive published biography or catalogue raisonné, interpretation of Jerrum’s wider artistic practice should remain appropriately cautious. The present catalogue description therefore distinguishes between observable characteristics of the work and broader stylistic interpretation.
Provenance
Formerly held by Grays & Sons Carlisle LTD.
Recently sourced from a private UK collection.
Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.
Dimensions
Framed Dimensions:
51 cm wide × 69 cm high × 3.5 cm deep
Frame & Presentation
Recently and professionally presented in a Larson Juhl Canaletto moulded frame with gold and pewter foil spray finish and an elegant spoon-profile design.
The work is protected behind museum-grade AR70 glazing and is ready to hang.
Condition Report
The watercolour presents well overall and remains visually vibrant.
Minor foxing and staining are visible in places, consistent with the age and nature of a work on paper.
The recently fitted frame is in excellent condition, without significant scratches or chips noted.
Please refer closely to the accompanying photographs, which form part of the condition assessment.
Shipping
Worldwide shipping is available.
The artwork will be professionally packaged using appropriate protective materials and dispatched fully insured for safe delivery.
Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution
The artwork will be supplied with a Certificate of Sale & Dealer Attribution issued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®, recording the artwork’s catalogue details, attribution, provenance as stated, and details of the sale. This document accompanies the work as part of its ongoing ownership and provenance record.
Attribution and Research
The historical observations, provenance research, attribution analysis and contextual commentary presented within this catalogue entry represent the professional opinion of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®. They are offered in good faith as informed scholarly assessments based upon the available evidence, comparative research, published reference material and our experience within the international fine art market.
These observations should be understood as professional opinions rather than definitive statements of fact or guarantees of authorship, attribution, date, origin, provenance or historical interpretation. As with all historic works of art, future documentary discoveries, technical examination, conservation analysis or advances in academic research may refine, expand or revise current interpretations.
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®
Specialising in carefully curated British and European fine art, antiques and historic works of art.
Every artwork is professionally researched and catalogued using comparative scholarship, published reference material and more than two decades of experience within the international fine art market. We are committed to offering collectors works of artistic and historical merit accompanied by transparent provenance research, detailed catalogue descriptions and professional, client-focused service.
Additional photographs and further information are available upon request.
