An Egyptian in a Doorway

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

1865 · Oil on wood · European Paintings

In the mid-1860s, Alma-Tadema painted a number of subjects set in ancient Egypt, in which convincing archaeological precision and uncanny lifelikeness seem to make the distant past come alive. This method paralleled that of Orientalist painters such as Jean-Léon Gérôme, who specialized both in depictions of contemporary life in the Middle East and in historical subjects. Later in his career, Alma-Tadema would specialize in scenes of ancient Rome.

Artist

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

Date

1865

Medium

Oil on wood

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Gift of Kenneth Jay Lane, 2017