Lawrence Alma-Tadema
Lawrence Alma‑Tadema was a Dutch painter who later settled in the United Kingdom. He became famous for his depictions of the luxury and decadence of the Roman Empire, with languorous figures set in fabulous marbled interiors or against a backdrop of dazzling blue Mediterranean sea and sky. He became one of the most popular Victorian painters and was admired during his lifetime for his draftsmanship and accurate depictions of Classical antiquity.
In many of his paintings, Alma-Tadema fused the stylistic elements of northern European scenes of daily life with the contemporary Victorian interest in classical antiquity. The artist himself owned 168 volumes of photographs of Greek and Roman artifacts, and he was very interested in depicting the ancient times as accurately as he could. Here, he depicts a woman in classical dress leaning on a Pompeian bronze table, the model for which survives in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples (which is amazing, don't miss it when you are there!). The artist’s detailed treatment of flowers, jewelry, and textiles lends a sense of immediacy to his depiction of a faraway place and time.
If you love Victorian paintings like this one, please check our 2024 DailyArt Calendars in the DailyArt Shop; they are full of such beautiful images!
P.S. Have you seen one of Alma‑Tadema's most famous masterpieces The Roses of Heliogabalus? This beautiful painting hides a gruesome story!