摘要
The purpose of this essay is to identify and analyze one of Lavinia Fontana＇s mysterious paintings, traditionally entitled Cleopatra but here considered to be an inventive portrayal of an ancient scientist, Cleopatra the Alchemist （ca. third century BCE）. There are four parts to this study. The first is an iconographical analysis of the painting by Lavinia Fontana＇s Cleopatra the Alchemist （1605） at the Galleria Spada in Rome. The second section deals with the origin of the Egyptian Cleopatra the Alchemist as an Egyptian scientist and of her inventions, which include the alembic and the ouroboros motiE The third section consists of an emblematic comparison between the imagery in the painting and alchemical references. The last brief section considers problematic copies of the painting
