Standing Roman

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

1875–90 · Pen and gray ink, brush and gray wash · Drawings and Prints

A noble Roman, perhaps the emperor Claudius, stands lost in thought as he fingers a rich curtain. Elements in the study--the archeologically accurate tripod table, the textile decorated with an image of "Amphitrite in Triumph"--can be found in paintings that Alma-Tadema made beween 1865 and 1871. Born in Friesland, the artist studied in Antwerp, worked in Brussels then moved to London in 1870 where he pioneered a distinctive mode of historical painting that mixed history and genre with evocative, detailed settings. The present drawing likely was made by a student or admirer, and prods the viewer to recall Claudius's sudden rise to power when the Praetorian Guard murdered his corrupt nephew Caligula (Alma-Tadema painted versions of that subject in 1867 and 1871).

Artist

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

Date

1875–90

Medium

Pen and gray ink, brush and gray wash

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Harry G. Sperling Fund, 2009