Lawrence Alma-Tadema

Prolific painter and watercolorist most famous for his detailed reconstructions of the ancient world. Although born in Holland and enjoying [atronage throughout Europe and America, Alma-Tadema became a fixture of the London art world in the 1860s. He settled permanently in England in 1870, became a British citizen in 1873, and was elected to the Royal Academy in 1876. His fastidiously researched paintings of daily life in ancient Rome and Greece were initially inspired by his study of the Parthenon sculptures at the British Museum during a visit to London in 1862, and by his honeymoon trip to Rome, Naples, and Pompeii in 1863. He returned to Italy on several occasions, often gathering information and ideas at archaeological excavation sites. Alma-Tadema's historical genre paintings brought him a steady flow of commissions and a succession of international honors, including a knighthood bestowed by Queen Victoria in 1899.

[Great British Paintings Label Text]