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Cleopatra Trying Out Poison to the Condemned Alexandre Cabanel | 1887

The Golden Fleece
Herbert Draper | 1904

The Magic Circle
John William Waterhouse

Cleopatra Trying Out Poison to the Condemned Alexandre Cabanel | 1887
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In the latter half of the nineteenth century, depictions of seductive femmes fatales skyrocketed in popularity. Alluring women tinged with the promise of danger became a widely depicted subject in European art. Why did artists and audiences turn to these figures? What drew them to the stories and legends behind these beautiful, deadly women?
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