Mikhail Popov was born in 1837. At the Imperial Academy of Arts, he studied in the class of sculptor Nikolai Pimenov. During his studies, Popov received two silver medals — large and small — and in 1861 the Academy Council admitted him to the competition for a large gold medal. Four years later, the sculptor finished the bas-relief ‘Penelope in sorrow, surrounded by a servant, brings the grooms a bow and arrow; Odysseus is sitting pauper at the door. " The work brought him a medal, the title of artist of the first degree and the right to a pensioner trip abroad — during such trips the Academy sent young artists to study the masterpieces of European masters. Mikhail Popov visited Berlin, Vienna, Venice, Naples and settled in Rome. In 1876, the artist received the title of professor for the statue ‘Phryne before the People’s Court’ carved from marble. He became famous for his bas-reliefs on mythological subjects and sculptures depicting everyday scenes.

One of the iconic works of Mikhail Popov was the statue of Cleopatra. The Queen ruled Egypt for 21 years: first with her brothers, and then with her husband, ancient Roman commander Mark Antony. It is not known for certain what Cleopatra looked like, but in the works of art it is customary to portray her as a stately and beautiful woman. The ancient Greek philosopher Plutarch wrote about her:

For some time, scientists could not determine when exactly Mikhail Popov finished work on the statue of Cleopatra. Researcher Olga Krivdina found out that the sculptor made this statue it in the spring of 1891. the same year, the statue was exhibited at an academic exhibition, in 1892 — in London, and in 1893 — in Chicago.