,frontispiece3 ,,an ,,earthly ,,paradise4 7,,all ,,the ,,heavens ,,of ,,heaven ,,in ,,one ,,little ,,child47 ,bell's ,miniature ,series of ,painters ,,sir ,,lawrence ,,alma ,,tadema ,r4 ,a4 ,,by ,,helen ,,zimmern ,,london ,,george ,,bell ,,sons #aijb ,,chiswick ,,press3 ,,charles ,,whittingham ,,and ,,co4 ,,tooks ,,court1 ,,chancery ,,lane1 ,,london4 ,,table ,,of ,,contents ,life of the ,artist ,the ,work of ,alma ,tadema ,the ,art of ,alma ,tadema ,our ,illustrations ,list of the ,principal ,pictures by ,alma ,tadema1 with ,owners' ,names ,list of the ,principal ,portraits painted by ,alma ,tadema ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,an ,earthly ,paradise4 7,all the ,heavens of ,heaven in one little child7 ,frontispiece ,a ,reading from ,homer ,at the ,shrine of ,venus ,ave ,caesar6 ,i ,saturnalia6 ,spring ,an ,audience at ,agrippa's ,sappho ,the ,coliseum ,all the illustrations are reproduced by special permission of the ,berlin ,photographic ,company4 ,,life ,,of ,,sir ,,lawrence ,,alma ,,tadema ,laurens ,alma ,tadema was born on ,january #hth1 #ahcf1 at ,dronryp1 a little town in the very heart of the ,frisian province of ,holland4 ,hence by birth ,tadema is ,dutch1 though by residence and naturalization he is now an ,englishman4 ,his ,dutch birth1 as we shall see later1 was not without significant effect upon the development and character of his art4 ,the father1 ,pieter ,tadema1 was an intelligent lawyer with a pronounced taste for music4 ,unfortunately1 while the young ,laurens was still a baby1 this parent died1 and his education and upbringing were left entirely in the hands of the mother4 ,a woman of unusual capacity1 she found herself at an early age with four children upon her hands--two1 a girl and our painter1 being her own offspring1 and two her husband's by a previous marriage4 ,the means at her disposal were small2 but undaunted1 she put herself to fight single-handed the battle of life1 and with such success1 that by her unassisted efforts she was able to place all her children well4 ,laurens1 her youngest1 was also something of her darling1 and even as a child he realized all his mother was doing on her children's behalf4 ,to her early example no doubt are due his great powers of perseverance1 his undaunted application1 his high-minded sense of duty4 ,from the very first his favourite plaything was a pencil and paper2 he drew as by instinct4 ,a family tradition survives to the effect that before he was five years old1 ,laurens had corrected an error in a drawing-master's design4 ,nature herself1 therefore1 seems to have pointed out his future career4 ,but so the mother and guardians did not think4 ,art was regarded in those days as a profession which savoured of a discreditable character1 and certainly not as one that could be rendered lucrative4 ,it was therefore resolved that ,laurens should follow in his father's footsteps4 ,this choice he found irksome to the last degree1 and irksome1 too1 were the preliminary steps4 ,for the dead languages he had no taste1 for all dry-bone studies he had little use4 ,his spare hours1 and often his lesson hours too1 were spent in drawing1 and many a time he would have himself awakened before daybreak in order that he might devote the hours before school time to working at his favourite pastime4 ,he had no masters and little encouragement1 nevertheless he plodded on1 and with such good results that already1 in #ahea1 he was able to exhibit in a ,dutch gallery a portrait he had painted of his sister1 a work that even in its immaturity betrays some of the qualities that distinguish his later and greater efforts in this department4 ,but the dual effort imposed on this young soul by the fight between duty and inclination was too heavy a physical burden for the juvenile shoulders to bear4 ,a collapse of health occurred just as ,laurens was growing up1 and so serious did it seem that the doctors told the mother and guardians how1 seeing the young man was not long for this world1 it seemed needless to mar his few remaining months of existence by forcing him to continue his hated legal studies4 ,for this short period at least he might be allowed to be happy following his bent4 ,but what was the surprise of doctors and guardians when ,laurens1 as soon as the heavy strain was removed1 recovered as though by magic1 and rapidly became the sturdy1 robust man he has remained all his life4 ,it was now at last evident to those in authority that ,tadema was a genius whose advance must not be thwarted or coerced2 art1 therefore1 was reluctantly acknowledged to be his proper profession1 and to prepare himself for this he sought admission to an art academy4 ,strange1 nay almost incredible though it sounds1 he could gain no admission to those of his native land4 ,antwerp1 at that time a noted artistic centre1 proved more discerning and less inhospitable4 ,it chanced that ,tadema entered at a moment when the rival claims of ,french pseudo-classicism and ,belgian naturalism were dividing the ,academy into factions4 ,the one1 the ,pseudo-classic1 was headed by ,louis ,david1 who at that time was living in ,antwerp in exile4 ,the other1 called the ,belgian-,flemish ,school1 aimed at reviving the ancient local art of the ,low ,countries4 ,alma ,tadema was not made of the stuff to become a pseudo-classic or a pseudo anything4 ,it was1 therefore1 quite natural that the young student ranged himself at once with those who sought to revive the best traditions of the ,dutch and ,flemish schools4 ,this native section was led by ,wappers1 and ,tadema soon became one of his most enthusiastic partisans4 ,a friend who knew him in those days has said1 ,tadema did not work at ,antwerp1 he slaved in his efforts to make up for all the precious time that had been lost4 ,of his early efforts1 however1 none have survived4 ,tadema has no severer critic than ,tadema himself1 and to this day he will not allow a picture to leave his studio until he has made it as perfect as he knows how1 so that he mercilessly destroyed all his tentative canvases that could not yet reproduce the perfected ideals of the master4 ,even in those early days the subjects belonged either to history proper or that ancient history which is half enveloped in myth4 ,it was about this time that ,tadema added the prefix ,alma to the paternal surname4 ,alma was the name of his godfather1 and such a proceeding was1 it seems1 not unusual in ,holland4 ,tadema's reason for taking this step was that in this wise his name in artistic catalogues was ranged among the ,a's instead of further down among the ,t's4 ,undoubtedly such apparent trifles do prove of consequence in helping or hindering a career4 ,from the ,academy of ,antwerp ,alma ,tadema passed into the studio of ,hendrick van ,leys1 the great ,belgian archologist and historical painter2 his teaching1 coming at the moment it did1 proved of great value to ,alma ,tadema4 ,van ,leys was just then busy decorating the ,grand ,town ,hall of ,antwerp with frescoes4 ,in this work ,alma ,tadema was allowed to assist the master1 and while so doing the young artist gained knowledge that proved of immense importance to his own after career4 ,to van ,leys' influence he owes his own historical accuracy and his attention to detail even the most minute4 ,it also helped him to see objects truthfully and1 what is equally important1 to see them in mass4 ,it is true that for a time van ,leys' example was somewhat pernicious1 since some of ,alma ,tadema's works of the period are visibly influenced by his master's dryness and harshness of execution4 ,but the young man's own native bias toward rich and full colour was too strong for any influence long to repress the remarkable and idiosyncratic capacity that throbbed within him and was yearning to find full expression4 ,the subjects treated by van ,leys in the ,antwerp ,guildhall were all taken from the history of the ,low ,countries4 ,it was thus that ,alma ,tadema became acquainted with their early annals by which his own first pictures were inspired4 ,it was the sale of one of these1 ,the ,education of the ,children of ,clovis1 bought by the ,king of the ,belgians1 that made it possible for the young artist to call his mother and sister to live with him in ,antwerp4 ,this removal of his family gave ,alma ,tadema intense joy1 for he is one of those wholesomely constituted beings to whom family life is an absolute necessity4 ,in order for him to be happy and to have his mind free to work at his congenial occupation1 it is needful to his nature that outside circumstances be calm1 and that his existence be surrounded by an atmosphere of tenderness and affection4 ,four years after joining her son1 ,madame ,tadema died4 ,it is sad to think that this good parent did not live to witness her son's world-wide fame1 but pleasant to know that she still heard the praise aroused by some of his first exhibited pictures1 and to see him the recipient of his first gold medal1 that accorded to him at ,amsterdam in #ahfb4 ,in #ahfe ,tadema married a ,french lady1 and removed to ,brussels1 where he remained until his wife's death4 ,this occurred in #ahfi1 when he was left alone with his sister and two little girls1 the eldest1 ,laurence1 who has developed into a gifted writer1 and the second1 ,anna1 the delicate1 dainty artist who has inherited so much of her father's power for reproducing detail4 ,it was during the lifetime of his first wife that ,alma ,tadema paid his first visit to ,italy and saw with his own eyes the homes of those ,romans who were destined to become his most familiar friends4 ,this journey1 as might be expected1 exerted a strong influence upon his art1 but it did not entirely reverse all his views and methods1 as has been the case with many other artists4 ,the fact is that ,alma ,tadema had of set purpose avoided going to ,italy before this date4 ,on this point he had1 and has always had1 a very pronounced opinion4 ,according to him the influence of ,italy is so potent1 so epoch-making in the life of an artist1 that he should never go there until he is himself mature and has already found his own road4 ,otherwise all he sees in that magic land only helps to unsettle him1 and hence hinders rather than helps forward the evolutionary development of the man's own artistic idiosyncrasy4 ,and indeed ,alma ,tadema's opinion would seem right on this point1 though it is in direct opposition to the practice of all the art schools and academies of the world4 ,it is certainly strange how few of those who gain travelling scholarships1 of those who are ,prix de ,rome and are sent to the ,villa ,medici1 become great and original artists4 ,speaking on this theme one day ,tadema remarked1 ,of what use is it to try and graft a branch laden with fruit upon a sapling4 ,if the sapling has no trunk how is it possible to effect a graft8 ,rubens followed the right principle1 and so after having extracted from foreign travel the best it could give he still remained ,rubens4 ,but what would have happened if he had undertaken his journey prematurely1 that is to say before the artist inside him was fully developed8 ,on another occasion ,alma ,tadema expressed his views on the same subject3 ,it is my belief that an art student ought not to travel4 ,when once he has become an artist1 conscious of his own aim1 of his own wants1 he will certainly profit by seeing the works of the great masters1 because he will then be able to understand them1 and can then1 if necessary1 appropriate such things as may appear useful to him4 ,with one or two exceptions the ,prix de ,rome men are not the foremost of their day4 ,meissonier1 ,gerome1 van ,leys1 remained at home till they had become consummate artists4 ,rembrandt never left ,amsterdam1 and ,rubens1 when travelling through ,italy1 made some sketches after ,lionardo da ,vinci which might pass as original ,rubens1 because ,rubens was already ,rubens when he did them4 ,vandyck and ,velasquez travelled when they were already ,vandyck and ,velasquez1 but not before4 ,the great picture dealer in those early days of ,alma ,tadema's art life was the ,frenchman1 ,m4 ,gambart1 ,prince ,gambart1 as he used to be called in playful irony1 for it was he who controlled and regulated the picture market of ,europe1 to the immense benefit of his own pocket4 ,it is but fair1 however1 to add that he was a generous as well as a discerning dealer4 ,when he was visiting any city in his commercial capacity1 the whisper ,gambart is here6 would run round all the studios1 and many a plot did unknown young artists lay in order to wile him into their workshops1 and keen was the disappointment if the great man left the city after visiting only the studios of one or two of the most noted men1 ignorant of all the schemes and plans that had been laid to entrap him4 ,the young ,alma ,tadema was among those who plotted to secure a visit from the great ,gambart1 and he too was doomed to see his hopes dashed4 ,at last1 however1 these hopes were fulfilled4 ,it was thanks to van ,leys1 who had purposely given a wrong address to ,gambart's coachman1 directed to carry his master to the studio of a painter then much en vogue4 ,hence it came that the great dealer found himself in front of ,alma ,tadema's modest studio instead4 ,in the doorway stood the young artist palpitating with excitement4 ,gambart1 who by this time had perceived his error1 was too good-natured to turn back without entering4 ,after he had looked at the work upon the easel in silence1 he suddenly asked in brusque tones1 ,do you mean to tell me you painted this picture8 ,alma ,tadema bowed his acquiescence1 he was too overcome to speak4 ,well1 replied the dealer1 after asking the price and a few other details1 turn me out twenty-four other pictures of this kind and ,i will pay for them at progressive prices1 raising the figure after each half dozen4 ,this was indeed an unexpected stroke of good fortune for ,alma ,tadema1 who at once set to work to fulfil his commission4 ,it was not all plain sailing however4 ,gambart wished to pin down the wings of the artist's fantasy1 and it was only after long discussion and bargaining that he permitted the painter to choose his themes from among classical subjects instead of remaining among those of the ,middle ,ages in which he had first found him engaged4 ,it was thus that some of the most famous of the artist's earlier works were included in this series ordered at so much the half dozen1 as if they had been gloves or any article of haberdashery4 ,it took ,alma ,tadema four years to carry out ,gambart's first commission4 ,when he was at the finish of his task1 ,gambart once more appeared upon the scene4 ,i want you to paint me another twenty-four pictures1 was the quaint order given by this dealer--,maecenas again offering to remunerate ,alma ,tadema at an ascending rate of payment1 only this time the starting point was a very much higher figure4 ,once more the artist consented4 ,the first work of the new series was the famous ,vintage4 ,when the dealer saw it he perceived that it was a far more important canvas than any of its predecessors1 a work1 too1 that had cost the artist far more time and labour1 and he at once insisted upon paying for it the figure which was to have been given for the last half dozen4 ,for ,gambart1 despite his profession and his bizarre ways1 was liberal and generous1 and perhaps he understood too that it paid to be honest4 ,alma ,tadema is fond of telling the tale how1 when he had finished his second two dozen pictures1 ,gambart invited him and the whole artistic colony of ,brussels to dinner4 ,to our artist's no small surprise1 he found that it was he who was the guest of honour4 ,in front of his plate there shone a silver goblet bearing a most flattering inscription1 while into his table-napkin was folded a large cheque1 a sum accorded to him by ,gambart beyond the stipulated price4 ,an accident brought ,tadema to ,london in #ahgj1 and here he at once took root4 ,a year later he remarried1 his wife this time being ,miss ,laura ,theresa ,epps1 a woman of rare beauty1 and herself a painter of distinction4 ,for many years ,tadema's home was in ,regent's ,park ,road1 a modest ,london residence which by his ingenuity he transformed into a fairy palace4 ,he afterwards moved into larger quarters in ,grove ,end ,road1 where he has reared a house entirely upon his own designs that repeats on a larger and more sumptuous scale the beauties of the earlier residence4 ,in ,alma ,tadema's case the environment does indeed explain the man4 ,his keen sense of beauty1 his classic tastes1 his love of flowers1 make themselves felt in every nook and corner of his abode2 in the silver-walled studio with its onyx windows1 in its mosaic atrium1 in which a fountain splashes1 in ,lady ,tadema's special room with its oak-beamed ceiling1 its ,dutch panelling1 its old ,dutch furniture1 in its low-windowed library packed with splendid illustrated works on artistic themes1 in its pretty garden ever gay with blossoms1 with its fish pond and trellised colonnade4 ,in almost every room can be reconstructed the scenes of his pictures2 the lustrous marble basin in the sky-lit atrium bears upon its sloping rim a heap of withered rose leaves1 faintly recording that rich shower of fragrance which once suggested a striking detail in the ,heliogabalus picture4 ,the burnished brass steps appearing at frequent intervals figure over and over again in the pictures of ,roman villas and classical environments4 ,perhaps one of the most striking features of this house1 which is filled with objects of priceless worth1 is its unevenness of pavement4 ,there are such endless nooks and alcoves1 each room is conceived upon a different scale and may be lower or higher than its immediate neighbour1 and yet1 most marvellous of all1 the cluster of beautiful apartments perfectly harmonize one with another4 ,from the oblong entrance hall1 over whose fireplace runs the greeting1 ,i count myself in nothing else so happy ,as in a soul remembering my good friends1 whose wall decorations consist in panels painted for the artist by his friends1 to the low-lying dining-room1 looking upon the garden and shaded by the great tree which it is ,tadema's delight to watch in its leaf unfolding1 its full summer verdure and its winter gauntness1 all is beautiful1 all is sympathetic1 and all is the result of an ardent appreciation of the artistic possibilities of the most humble objects of domestic life4 ,through all the rooms are scattered portraits of its beautiful women inmates1 here a statue of ,lady ,alma ,tadema1 there a window into whose delicately coloured panes are fashioned the likenesses of the quaint little girls who have now grown to women1 outside under the window of these same daughters' room is a beautiful bit of sculptured frieze bearing the interwoven tulips of ,holland1 lilies of ,france1 and ,english roses4 ,the most frequent guest finds continual surprises in this house whose every accessory is as carefully conceived as one of the details of its master's pictures4 ,holland1 ,greece1 ,london and ,rome have all contributed their quota to render this house sui generis1 and once we have passed the postern gate that leads from ,grove ,end ,road into the garden we instinctively feel ourselves incorporated into another world1 another clime1 and ,london and its squalor1 its fogs and cold1 are forgotten for a time4 ,it is in this congenial milieu that the artist works1 a milieu helpful and suggestive to the special character of his art4 ,his life since his removal to ,england has been uneventful4 ,the saying1 ,happy those who have no history might be applied to ,tadema4 ,hard work1 persistent study1 unremitting efforts after ever greater perfection of style and treatment1 sum up ,alma ,tadema's artistic existence4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,reading ,,from ,,homer4 ,he is essentially a sociable man1 a lover of his kind4 ,his work is only interrupted by visits from friends1 by weekly afternoon and evening receptions1 so charming that the entre is greatly coveted1 by the claims upon his time as ,professor at the ,royal ,academy and member of the ,council2 demands all of which he fulfils with his characteristic strenuousness and high sense of duty4 ,in #ahgf he became an ,associate ,member of the ,royal ,academy1 and in #ahgi a ,royal ,academician4 ,in #ahii he received the well-merited honour of knighthood at the hands of ,queen ,victoria4 ,it is not often that ,alma ,tadema leaves the house to which he is devoted1 both for its beauty and because it harbours all whom he holds dear1 for he is essentially a domestic man4 ,occasional visits to the ,english country1 which he greatly admires1 and rare trips to ,italy1 which he naturally loves1 are all the holidays he allows himself1 and even during such changes of place he does not permit himself rest1 but is ever studying fresh effects of light and colour1 fresh combinations1 imbibing fresh artistic suggestions4 ,nothing escapes ,tadema's wide-open eyes2 he is never too weary to receive a new impression4 ,as a man he has about him no trace of the pedantry which might be anticipated from the archaic character of his work4 ,he is generous1 genial1 warm-hearted1 a lover of jokes and anecdotes good and bad1 a cheery optimist1 a boon companion in the best sense of that term4 ,he is also the truest and most faithful of friends1 and the kindest and most large-hearted of teachers4 ,his appreciation of the works of others is wide and sincere1 and1 no matter how different this work may be from his own style and taste1 he gives to it its due meed of praise1 provided it be executed with honest intent4 ,london society is familiar with this wiry1 strong-set figure1 with this face of kindly comeliness1 with the cheery voice1 with the frank1 observant eye1 the merry quips and pranks1 the energy1 the intense love of all that is great1 and good1 and lovely4 ,to be with him is to feel invigorated1 for he seems to have so much superfluous vitality that he is able to dispense it to his surroundings4 ,of his art he rarely speaks1 and still more rarely of his art-theories4 ,indeed he is no theorist1 though he knows perfectly well at what ends he aims1 and his art1 like his personality1 is homogeneous throughout4 ,but it is not in his nature to analyze1 he follows his instincts1 and these are true and right4 ,to thine own self be true1 has been his life motto1 and faithfully has he served it4 ,,the ,,work ,,of ,,alma ,,tadema ,the first in date of ,alma ,tadema's preserved paintings is a cycle of pictures dealing with ,merovingian times4 ,to these ,merovingians he was early attracted1 partly perhaps because in his old home and birthplace relics1 such as coins1 medals1 armour belonging to that epoch were the only antiquities the soil could boast4 ,added to this1 chance threw into his way ,gregory of ,tours' ,history of the ,franks and the quaint old chronicler completely captivated his fancy4 ,from this treasure-house of fact and fiction he drew a series of pictures which1 if no more historically correct than ,gregory himself1 were nevertheless carefully pondered pieces of archological improvisation in which the minute studies of accessories made while still in ,frisia stood ,alma ,tadema in good stead4 ,clotilde at the ,grave of her ,grandchildren was an incident entirely without foundation in fact1 but one of ,gregory's stories had suggested the situation1 and ,tadema at once realized its dramatic and pictorial possibilities4 ,in treatment this canvas was still a little hard and dry1 the influence of van ,leys' somewhat arid manner was too apparent4 ,the same criticism applies1 but in a less degree1 to its successor1 the work that won for ,alma ,tadema his first success1 ,the ,education of the ,children of ,clovis4 ,this1 too1 was inspired by the old ,prankish chronicler1 and here also1 as often in ,alma ,tadema's art1 a good deal of previous knowledge is requisite in order fully to appreciate the composition4 ,it cannot be denied that this is one of the difficulties of truly understanding the painter's work4 ,his subjects are apt to be at times a little too archological1 a little too literary for immediate or easy explanation4 ,their atmosphere is inclined to be somewhat remote from common knowledge or interest4 ,nevertheless in this canvas the tale is sufficiently told1 and already the real ,alma ,tadema is making himself felt in the greater richness of the colouring and in the skilful disposition of the figures4 ,quite especially free and energetic is the figure of the eldest boy throwing his axe at the mark1 and that of his teacher looking on intently to see how his charge conducts himself during this public exposition of his prowess4 ,this work1 which is now the property of the ,king of the ,belgians1 was bought by the ,antwerp ,society for the ,encouragement of the ,fine ,arts for the paltry sum of one thousand six hundred francs1 an amount which at the time seemed a large remuneration to its painter4 ,this picture was followed by yet others1 all inspired by the ,merovingian chronicles that had taken such a firm hold upon the artist's imagination4 ,in each successive picture the scheme of colour grew fuller and warmer1 the dull manner of the master van ,leys was more and more abandoned1 the real ,alma ,tadema made himself more and more felt4 ,his own individuality1 his own methods of conception became manifest4 ,this is especially the case in a picture called ,gonthram ,bose1 another of the ,merovingian series4 ,we here see ,alma ,tadema already applying his peculiar capacity of filling in every inch of the canvas1 thus often giving to the tiniest space a sense of vastness1 of distance1 of immensity1 that renders his smallest works such marvellous gems of concentrated beauty4 ,of course it took time to learn to do this without arousing a sense of overcrowding1 a fault that occurs even in one or two of his later works1 but more and more as he advanced this danger was eliminated and the capabilities hidden in this artifice became ever more manifest4 ,the little figures with which he peopled his pictures also steadily advanced in correctness of movement and bore about them a local physiognomy that revived an entire historical epoch in a few square inches of canvas4 ,the whole ,merovingian period seemed incarnated in these works4 ,this same capacity of resuscitating a remote historical time was yet more pleasantly revealed when ,alma ,tadema at last turned from painting these gorgeous but bloodthirsty barbarians1 and applied himself instead to the mysterious land of ,egypt1 the source of all culture and all knowledge1 the land he has never seen1 but which he has apprehended so wonderfully with the eye of his brain4 ,the ,german ,egyptologist and novelist1 ,george ,ebers1 a friend of ,alma ,tadema's1 to whom he dedicated one of his historical tales1 once asked him what it was that had turned him from his ,franks towards the land of ,isis4 ,alma ,tadema replied1 ,where else should ,i have begun as soon as ,i became acquainted with the life of the ancients8 ,the first thing a child learns of ancient history is about the ,court of ,pharaoh1 and if we go back to the source of art and science must we not return to ,egypt8 ,this migration to the ,nile closed what may be termed ,alma ,tadema's first artistic period1 which embraces the ten years that lie between #aheb and #ahfb4 ,in #ahfc he exhibited his ,egyptians ,three ,thousand ,years ,ago4 ,here1 though archological knowledge was manifest1 ,tadema did not sacrifice his picture to a pedantic display of learning4 ,on the contrary1 it rather seemed his object to show that these dead and gone old ,egyptians1 whom we are too inclined to think of as the stiff1 lifeless figures that greet us from the temples and stone carvings of their native land1 were men and women like to ourselves4 ,a work such as this exhibited great study1 more perhaps than that demanded by his ,merovingians4 ,but from the outset it was evident that ,alma ,tadema would not covenant with prevailing fashions in art in order to buy public favour at a cheap price4 ,he would take up no task which did not commend itself to his sthetic faith1 to his individual inclination1 to the particular preferences of his taste4 ,never1 even at the outset of his career1 when financial success had not yet come1 did ,alma ,tadema convert his function of artist into an easy or lucrative profession4 ,in ,the ,mummy1 ,the ,widow1 ,the ,egyptian at his ,doorway1 ,tadema for the first time applies the methods of genre painting to the treatment of antique themes4 ,this novel manner of dealing with archology1 which is really of his creation1 has found a large school of imitators1 none of whom1 however1 approach the master either for spontaneity of conception or skill of execution4 ,this leaning towards genre and its application to subjects that had hitherto not invited treatment in this manner1 may probably be traced to ,tadema's ,dutch origin1 seeing that the ,dutch were past masters in this form of composition1 which by them was chiefly used to illustrate trivial moments of their immediate environment4 ,the most remarkable of these works is the ,death of the ,first-born2 indeed1 ,tadema ranks it as his best picture1 and has never yet accepted any offer for its purchase4 ,it hangs permanently in his studio1 and is looked upon by his family as a priceless possession4 ,the date of this work is #ahgc1 when the artist had already begun to turn his attention to those ,greco-,roman themes with which his fame has since been so closely associated4 ,as the picture is not familiar to the world from reproductions1 we will describe it at length4 ,in this picture of the last1 worst plague of ,egypt1 we find pathos1 despair1 and that silent grief which whispers to the o'er-fraught heart and bids it break4 ,we enter a great ,egyptian temple where darkness and gloom1 oppressive in their intensity1 are only relieved by the gleam of moonlight seen through a distant doorway1 and by a single lamp which makes the surrounding shadows more deep4 ,in the foreground is a pillar with hieroglyphics inscribed upon it1 its capital lost in the darkness gives a strange sense of awe1 but the pervading influence1 the power of the scene1 is the apprehension of death which seems to rest over the mighty columns1 which fills the great temple1 which bows to the earth ,pharaoh himself1 for it is his first-born who lies dead before him4 ,priests and musicians are gathered round lamps standing on the floor4 ,the priests are chanting their prayers1 and the musicians are touching strange-looking instruments4 ,the entire effect is gloomy and awe-inspiring in the extreme4 ,the colouring is sombre with its inimitable use of greens and browns4 ,the surroundings fitly prepare us for the central group of four persons who cluster round the figure of the desolate king4 ,it is one of the extraordinary effects of this picture that the accessories strike the observer first1 and in their mournful disposition prepare him for the chief interest1 although both spiritually and actually1 ,pharaoh and his attendants hold the centre of the canvas4 ,the king sits upon a low stool1 and across his knees lies the slender body of his first-born4 ,the dead face of the almost nude youth is indescribably sweet1 and around his neck hangs limply a strangely-fashioned golden chain1 probably bearing some amulet to shield the king's son from harm4 ,the king1 upon whose figure the light falls1 wears his crown1 the brilliant jewels of which seem to mock his helpless grief4 ,he sits rigid1 immovable1 the strong1 proud man will make no sign1 but there is one feature which even his powerful will cannot control1 his mouth trembles ever so slightly1 so faintly that at first it is not distinguishable4 ,but what grief it expresses1 this faint indistinctness of outline6 ,this figure might be taken as the embodiment of grief1 grief fixed and immutable1 and like all true emotion1 truly expressed1 with not a hint of morbidness4 ,the mother sits near1 bowed to the earth in her sorrow4 ,she1 too1 has striven to be strong1 and even in this outburst of despair1 shows self-restraint4 ,at the other side of ,pharaoh sits the physician whose powers have been useless in this combat4 ,outside the temple door two figures approach4 ,they are ,moses and ,aaron coming to behold their work4 ,this is a truly marvellous picture1 and it is not strange that ,alma ,tadema retains it in his own hands4 ,it is so true1 so complex1 so alive1 that at every view1 with every changing light it reveals new features1 new aspects of sorrow1 and yet with its profundity of sorrow it is not too tragic to live with4 ,it is so true1 so human1 so beautiful1 and so deep1 that it does not repel4 ,about ,alma ,tadema's art there is nothing false or strained2 he is always healthy1 there is in his nature no strain of morbidness1 and hence whatever he paints appeals direct to the truest feelings1 whether he paints the glad1 sensuous world of the ancients1 or the tragedies which befell them1 there is never in his work the sickly introspection1 the hyper-analysis of modern days4 ,just as in his ,tarquinius and ,emperor1 ,alma ,tadema proved that he could express tragedy1 so here he has shown conclusively that he can express pathos and that he is possessed of a deep imagination1 which1 unfortunately1 he puts forth all too rarely4 ,had ,alma ,tadema created but this one superb work he would be among the greatest artists of our time4 ,this ,death of the ,first-born is a true representation of ,egyptian life1 and1 as if to prove how accurate are the artist's instincts1 it is noteworthy that he placed at the feet of the dead a wreath of flowers which strikingly resembles a like garland1 found ten years after the picture was painted1 in the royal tombs of ,deir el ,bahari4 ,meantime however1 as we have said1 he had begun to paint genre pictures of ,greek and ,roman life1 and so numerous are these1 so rapidly did he produce them1 that it is impossible in our limited space to enumerate even the most important4 ,we have chosen a few at random1 taking care however to select from among the most noteworthy4 ,one of his finest early ,roman pictures is1 beyond question1 the ,tarquinius ,superbus1 in which ,tadema has shown what tragic power he could wield when he wished4 ,but his general inclination leads him to let us see his men and women merely as they present their outward faces4 ,he cares not to look beyond1 to apprehend the informing intention1 the psychic force of his creations4 ,this idiosyncrasy is based on the artist's character which is singularly direct1 and to which introspection and analytic research is distasteful4 ,of quite a different character is the ,pyrrhic ,dance1 a wonderful tour de force4 ,we are made to feel that these ,dorian fighters1 executing a war-dance1 are heavily armed1 and that it is only their skill and agility which makes their choregraphic evolutions appear light under such heavily handicapped conditions4 ,indeed1 as we know from history1 but few could execute with grace and skill this mimic warrior armour game as ,plato calls it1 it might so easily become ridiculous and it is not the least of ,tadema's merits in this canvas that he has treated it without the least touch of exaggeration1 and with a gravity and dignity that are truly admirable4 ,the ,vintage1 painted just before ,tadema's removal to ,england1 is in some respects one of his most important and most characteristic works4 ,it has been objected that ,alma ,tadema is essentially a painter of repose4 ,to this picture as well as to the ,pyrrhic ,dance this criticism cannot be applied4 ,the first thing that strikes us as we look at the work is the sense of motion and music which it imparts4 ,another of the objections sometimes made to ,alma ,tadema's work is that his men and women1 but more especially his women1 are not in accordance with usually recognized classical standards4 ,his favourite types are rather of the heavy build that would be connected more readily with ,holland than with ,rome1 though in some of the portrait busts of empresses preserved in the ,vatican1 and other sculpture galleries1 we see frequent precedents for this preference1 a preference that became more and more emphasized after the artist's removal to ,england4 ,in learning1 in technical excellence1 in the remarkable finish of all the multitudinous details1 the work is admirable4 ,here1 too1 he has not permitted the details to distract our attention from the main intention of the picture2 we think first and last of the procession and put the accessories1 correct and wonderfully painted though they are1 into their proper artistic place4 ,alma ,tadema's pictures may at times seem to proclaim too loudly the equality of all visible things1 and this equal attention to each object sometimes prevents the concentration of our attention upon the central point of interest4 ,it is this peculiarity which led ,ruskin to make his savage and most unfair onslaught upon the painter in his ,academy ,notes of #ahge4 ,the ,sculpture ,gallery1 a newer and more skilful version of a previous picture on the same theme1 painted in #ahfd1 furnished the tag upon which ,ruskin hung his attack4 ,this later ,sculpture ,gallery was the companion to the ,picture ,gallery exhibited at the ,royal ,academy in #ahgd1 which was again a sort of extension of an earlier work called the ,roman ,amateur4 ,in the atrium of a ,roman house1 a fat swarthy ,roman1 a man of little distinction1 no doubt a nouveau riche of his period1 exhibits to his visitors a silver statue4 ,there is an impressive pomposity about his manner1 as though he were dilating upon the statue's intrinsic metallic worth rather than upon its artistic merits1 and his guests seem to be on the level of his own artistic tastes4 ,in the two versions of the ,sculpture ,gallery this idea is extended4 ,in the first version the famous ,lateran statue of ,sophocles was introduced1 and indeed forms the central point of interest4 ,around it are grouped three ,romans1 one woman and two men1 evidently eagerly discussing its artistic merits4 ,all ,tadema's fine draughtsmanship1 all his unique skill in the painting of lucent surfaces is here to the fore4 ,the second ,sculpture ,gallery was yet more elaborate in design and purpose4 ,the work of art exhibited in this instance is placed within a back shop of the epoch1 the front towards the streets being reserved for smaller and less important objects4 ,a company of rich amateurs has evidently sauntered in to behold the latest acquisitions of the dealer4 ,a colossal vase1 poised upon a revolving pedestal1 is especially claiming their attention4 ,a slave slowly turns it round that they may view it in every light4 ,we know him to be a slave by the crescent-shaped token he wears suspended from his neck4 ,the effect of in-door and out-door illumination1 and of reflected light from the shimmering surfaces of the objects in the shop is rendered with scientific accuracy and rare technical ability4 ,full of ingenious and most difficult light effects1 too1 is the ,picture ,gallery1 in which we see a crowd of noble ,roman dames and knights admiring the triptychs of the period wherewith the walls are hung and the easels loaded4 ,this theme1 with considerable variants1 had been treated once before by ,tadema4 ,indeed1 he is fond of repeating his initial idea in different shape4 ,this time the work is called ,antistius ,labeon4 ,it represents an amateur ,roman painter1 a contemporary of ,vespasian1 showing off his latest productions to the friends who have dropped into his studio4 ,it seems1 so ,tadema tells us1 that the gentleman painter1 who was a ,roman pro-consul1 was rather looked down upon by his contemporaries for his amateur tastes4 ,it was thought gentlemanly in those days to admire art but not to practise it1 an idea that even in early ,victorian days we find not quite extinct4 ,illustration3 ,,at ,,the ,,shrine ,,of ,,venus4 ,it was on these two fine works1 ,the ,sculpture ,gallery and ,the ,picture ,gallery1 that ,alma ,tadema's world-wide reputation was first based4 ,a great continental dealer bought them1 and as engravings as well as in the widely exhibited originals they became familiar to all lovers of the beautiful4 ,from this time onward ,alma ,tadema could not paint fast enough to satisfy the demands made upon his brush2 but this success only increased the rigidity of the demands he made upon himself4 ,the more successful ,alma ,tadema has been1 the more conscientious has he become1 a rare quality1 and one that cannot be too highly praised or too much admired4 ,his passionate love of colour1 a passion that seems to have grown upon him as time passed1 and as he abandoned more and more his earlier drier manner1 found expression after his election as associate to the ,royal ,academy in a number of small but most perfect little canvases that often dealt with nothing in particular1 and to which the artist was at times embarrassed to give names1 or whose titles1 when found1 were not specially distinctive1 but which each in their kind was a perfect gem of technique of radiant tints4 ,and after all1 why need a picture have a name1 tout prix8 ,whistler was not so wrong when he labelled some of his works as ,symphonies and ,harmonies of colour4 ,such titles would best describe many of ,alma ,tadema's smaller colour creations4 ,and now1 his own line fully found1 ,tadema worked on steadily1 without haste or pause4 ,in a milieu far distant indeed from the scene of their creation1 a ,london atmosphere1 a ,london sky1 he caused to live again for a while in effigy the men and maidens of ,magna ,graecia1 of ,rome1 of ,parthenope1 and above all of ,sicily1 for ,tadema's out-door scenes are too southern in feeling and in tone even for the furthest shores of the ,peninsula1 and belong by rights to the ,syren isle4 ,here alone are found the unclouded sapphire skies1 the seas sun-bathed and innocent of angry waves1 the luxuriant vegetation1 the mad wealth of roses that seem to spring by magic from ,tadema's brush1 and are the outcome of his fervid imagination that can behold these things with his mental vision while fog and grim winter are raging outside4 ,it is one of ,tadema's rare and precious gifts that he can see his picture finished before he has put brush to canvas4 ,it is this gift which makes it unnecessary for him to execute the usual amount of sketching1 indeed1 ,tadema may be said not to sketch at all2 it is this that lends to his hand his rare security1 and this that helps towards his precision of execution4 ,everything is clearly1 sharply outlined in his art4 ,his canvases show no quiet1 slumberous distances1 no mysterious twilights of life or nature4 ,all is evident1 all is distinct1 all sharply defined as in the meridional landscape that he loves1 and all this is rendered with that accuracy1 with those small touches of extreme sharpness1 which recall the precise methods of his ,dutch pictorial ancestors4 ,these are merits1 but they are merits that also contain hidden within their excellence the germs of what by some may be considered as defects4 ,there is apt to be a lack of repose about a picture of ,alma ,tadema's1 our eye is not necessarily led at once to the central purpose of the work1 each action seems of equal importance1 and is painted in the same scheme of values4 ,as an example of ,alma ,tadema's painstaking1 and of how he lets no trouble or expense stand in the way of making his pictures just as perfect as possible1 it may be mentioned that during the whole of the winter when he was at work on his ,heliogabalus the artist sent twice a week for boxes of fresh roses from the ,riviera4 ,thus each flower may be said to have been painted from a different model4 ,only once in his life did ,alma ,tadema paint a life-size nude figure4 ,this was the work called ,a ,sculptor's ,model4 ,it was inspired by the ,venus of the ,esquiline1 then but lately unearthed2 the painter's intention was to show1 as far as possible1 the conditions under which such a masterpiece might have been created4 ,it was also painted as a model for his pupil ,john ,collier1 one of the very few pupils whom ,alma ,tadema has ever received into his studio4 ,it should be mentioned that ,alma ,tadema at times paints in water colours as well as in oils1 a medium he manipulates most successfully1 and which lends itself most admirably to his limpid effects of sea and sky4 ,he has also of late years taken to portrait painting4 ,his wonderfully careful technique has here full play1 and the perfection of finish fills us with admiration4 ,but1 despite their merits1 it is hard to think of these portraits as ,alma ,tadema's2 with his name1 whether we will or no1 we are forced to associate blue skies1 placid seas1 spring flowers1 youths and maidens in the heyday of life1 and a sense of old-world happiness and distance from our less beautiful modern existence and surroundings4 ,,the ,,art ,,of ,,alma ,,tadema ,it is fortunately not possible to define with real precision the position ,sir ,lawrence ,alma ,tadema occupies in art1 since happily he is still living and working among us--and long may he so live to turn out yet other scores of sun-filled joyous canvases1 speaking to a weary and hard-driven generation1 of vanished and more placid times1 when existence was less restless and more sthetically conceived6 ,nor1 though he has had imitators by the dozen1 is it as yet possible to determine the exact nature of the influence he has exerted upon the art of his age1 for with rare exceptions these imitators have turned out frigid1 lifeless works that bear the same relation to the master's style and manner as oleographs bear to original paintings4 ,neither is it quite possible to classify ,alma ,tadema's manner4 ,a number of influences1 partly extraneous1 or accidental1 partly the result of birth and atavism1 have resulted in causing his art to be sui generis4 ,if he must be classed at all1 although a much younger man1 he might be grouped with those artists who came to the fore on the continent soon after the upheaving epoch of #ahdh1 men who endeavoured to revive the more intimate life of ,greece and ,rome upon their canvas1 and who in ,france went by the name of neo-,greeks or ,pompeists4 ,this trend was a reaction from the older classical school that was headed by ,jacques ,louis ,david1 whose productions were distinguished by a certain austere dignity of conception1 by elaborate accuracy of form1 but1 on the other hand1 were generally cold and unreal in sentiment1 unpleasantly monotonous in colouring1 and defective in their arrangement of light and shade4 ,it has been most felicitously remarked1 that if ,david may be named the ,corneille of the ,roman ,empire1 ,alma ,tadema may be said to be its ,sardou4 ,he has made his ancients more living1 he has resuscitated them with less visible effort2 he seems to have an instinctive comprehension of antiquity4 ,his is not the ,rome of ,ingres1 of ,poussin1 of grand public ceremonies1 of battles1 of the ,forum and the rostrum1 of actions that upheaved the world2 he gives us instead the home life of this people1 ,rome such as we divine it to have been from ,cicero's letters to ,atticus1 the life of the ancients as presented to us in the plays of ,terence and ,plautus4 ,it is not mere historical painting that he aims at1 indeed his art bears the same relation to history as does the anecdote to serious narrative1 a lighter species which nevertheless often throws a brighter light upon the past than scores of learned tomes4 ,and this result is largely achieved by his love of detail1 which causes him to crowd his canvas with masses of those authentic bibelots which ancient and recent excavations and the aid of photography have brought within the reach of all4 ,the elder classical painters thought to render their work more truly classical by placing their protagonists in large empty monumental spaces1 just as ,corneille and ,racine thought to give the true classical ring to their plays when they removed them from every-day emotions1 and rolled out high-sounding and rhetorical phrases4 ,alma ,tadema1 instead1 is convinced that these dead-and-gone folk were in all fundamental essentials like to ourselves1 that they lived1 loved1 joked and chattered just as we do1 and this conviction has found expression in his pictures that deal less and less with the graver1 grander moments of their existence1 and more with the petty intimate details of their home life4 ,his pictures might almost be said to be a series of instantaneous reproductions of the life of the ,roman patricians4 ,the plebs have no interest for him1 they rarely figure in his canvases1 and when they do their figures are entirely subordinate4 ,the ,roman of ,alma ,tadema's pictures abides in a world of idle luxury1 in which nothing matters much unless it ministers to sensuous enjoyment4 ,it is the outward seeming of life and objects that attracts him1 their inner deeper meaning matters to him as little as their subject4 ,the life aim of his men and women seems to be to exist happily and placidly1 untroubled by material cares or disturbing emotions4 ,in his method of composing his pictures ,alma ,tadema's manner is also the absolute antithesis of what is commonly regarded as the classic method4 ,so far is he from putting his principal personages well into the middle of his canvas1 from following a pyramidal arrangement1 that in his effort to be natural and unconventional1 he even at times commits extravagances in order to escape from the beaten path1 as1 for example1 in his portrait of ,dr4 ,epps1 in which there are shown one head and a bust1 no arms1 but three hands1 the third being that of the unseen patient whose pulse the physician is supposed to feel4 ,this is an extreme instance1 but a tendency to dismember his figures1 to show us only half a figure1 a detached head1 a hand without a body1 a foot without a visible leg1 occurs every now and again1 and not certainly to the detriment of a realistic effect1 but most certainly to the detriment of composition as classically understood4 ,this tendency1 no doubt1 results from his love of ,japanese art1 an art that has had a visible influence upon his methods of disposing his composition4 ,indeed1 it might almost be said that ,alma ,tadema does not compose his pictures at all4 ,he certainly does not do so according to the ordinary acceptance of the term in art1 he rather disposes his personages about his canvas1 apparently at hazard1 much as they might group themselves in real life4 ,but under this seeming negligence1 is hidden great care1 immense painstaking1 a striving to give to his pictures their maximum of expressive force1 for in ,alma ,tadema's work1 everything as well as every person1 has its suggestive purpose4 ,as ,m4 de la ,sizeranne has well said1 few painters have less of that element which in the jargon of the studio is known as poids mort4 ,but this very merit causes his pictures to lack concentration4 ,there is no point on which our eye fixes at once as the central1 most important1 and the meaning of the whole may often be hidden in some accessory that the ordinary observer is apt to overlook4 ,thus1 for example1 in one of his ,claudius series is seen1 poised on a cippus1 a head of ,augustus1 dominating as it were the whole bloody1 rowdy1 undignified scene4 ,how many who see the work have remarked that the bust is turned toward a picture that represents a naval engagement1 and that underneath this picture is written the single word ,actium1 suggestive of a vast antithesis4 ,subtle little touches such as these often render ,alma ,tadema's more important works a puzzle to those unversed in classic lore1 and oblige us to class him1 if classed he must be1 among the erudite artists whose roots are planted in the soil of literature4 ,yet1 surely1 if there exists a domain where erudition should take a secondary place it is that of art1 which shares with poetry the high privilege of soaring so high as to have the right to disdain the mere minutiae of history1 the petty details of life4 ,happily1 ,alma ,tadema is saved from being a cold1 unattractive antiquarian painter by his rare keen sense of beauty1 and here again we come in contact with the difficulty of ranging him as we might range his pseudo-classic brethren4 ,the spectator who misses the allusions1 the meaning of his subject-pictures1 nevertheless finds matter for full and intense enjoyment as he contemplates the lovely fabrics1 the cool half-shades1 the clear sunlight1 the exquisite flowers1 the heat-saturated sea and sky1 the marbles and the bric--brac that appear on almost every canvas1 and are painted with a skill1 a consummate science that captivates the connoisseur1 and with a reality that delights the uninstructed crowd4 ,briefly1 ,alma ,tadema's double nationality1 his ,dutch birth1 his long ,english residence1 coupled with his classic tastes1 his admiration for the ,japanese1 have contributed to render his art a curious complex of conflicting tendencies1 tendencies that in themselves are again welded into a harmonious whole by the idiosyncrasy of the man4 ,we seem to feel1 even through the medium of his pictures1 his kind-heartedness1 his quick appreciation of all that is good and beautiful1 his dislike of mystery1 of vain searchings in dark mental places1 his love of sunshine1 moral and real4 ,others might paint his portraits as well1 but none can paint those exquisite southern idylls of which such numbers have issued from his brush and brain4 ,he has been called the painter of repose4 ,i should rather be inclined to style him the painter of gladness1 of the joy of life4 ,the artistic world has certainly been rendered the sunnier by his works4 ,,our ,,illustrations ,amongst the many famous and popular pictures by ,alma ,tadema it is a little difficult to know which to select1 and our object has been to make a representative collection1 while avoiding those which are already familiar to all through the windows of the print shops4 ,a work that shows him in one of his most tragic moments1 a mood he does not often exhibit1 for this master of sunny nature prefers to paint sunny themes1 is the ,ave ,caesar6 ,i ,saturnalia6 ,the story of ,caligula's tragic ending and the election of ,claudius as ,emperor seems to have had a curious attraction for the artist4 ,he painted the theme three times1 though with considerable variants1 first as the ,claudius1 then as ,the ,roman ,emperor1 and finally1 and in its finest version1 as the ,ave ,caesar6 ,i ,saturnalia6 ,the first of the series on the subject simply styled ,claudius though full of life1 solemnity and graphic force1 was surpassed by its successors1 into which the artist infused more of his wonderful genius for archological indivination4 ,this first ,claudius belonged to a set of pictures ordered from ,alma ,tadema by the dealer ,m4 ,gambart4 ,the second1 ,the ,roman ,emperor1 was painted after his removal to ,london4 ,in this new version ,alma ,tadema also adopted a scheme of colour that was absolutely new to him1 to the consternation1 it is said1 of some of his clients1 who saw in this departure an alarming tendency towards pre-,raphaelitism4 ,according to them it was distinctly unfair to the public for this artist to change his style4 ,where were the white marbles1 the dresses of pale1 soft tints to which they were accustomed in his canvases8 ,here he had boldly introduced a girl of the ,roman people with hair of pure copper tints1 and even the corpse was clad in a dress of brilliant blue and vivid purple1 while the purity of the marble pavement was stained not only with the blood of the slain1 but was also a confusion of restless coloured mosaics that distracted the eye from the picture's main purpose4 ,criticism waxed hot around this canvas which seemed to threaten a revolution in the artist's methods4 ,but it was only a passing phase and proved of no real import4 ,alma ,tadema's pictures continued as before to be distinguished by a certain calm and majestic solemnity1 such as suits best the ,roman people whom by choice he represented4 ,still this third and finest version of the ,claudius story can scarcely be classed among his calmer works4 ,it is dramatic and full of movement4 ,for brilliant colouring1 for vigorous drawing1 for its admirable archological verity this picture is distinguished even among ,alma ,tadema's many distinguished works4 ,note too that it is painted in proportions so small as would hardly suffice a latter-day ,italian artist for the depicting of a cauliflower4 ,but ,alma ,tadema1 far from thinking that a canvas must be large in proportion to the importance of his subject1 is of the opinion that minute dimensions tend to excite the imagination and give to a work a more poetic and ideal character4 ,illustration3 ,,ave ,c,,sar6 ,,io ,,saturnalia4 ,in this ,ave ,caesar6 ,i ,saturnalia6 we look upon the man whose supposed imbecility saved him from the cruel fate to which ,caligula subjected his relations1 found by the soldiery in a corner of the palace where he had hid himself in his dread1 a hiding place whence the ,praetorians dragged him forth and proclaimed him their ruler4 ,we see the elected ,emperor1 his face blanched with terror1 holding for support to the curtain which has lately hid his trembling form from the pursuing soldiers and the populace4 ,these ironically salute him as ,imperator4 ,especially obsequious and excellent in rendering is the figure of the guard who has drawn aside the heavy drapery4 ,a confused heap of corpses1 all that is left of those who have been slain in defence of their murdered master1 litter the marble pavement4 ,above them1 laurel crowned1 smile down in marble indifference the portrait busts of other ,caesars now dead and gone to their account4 ,in the far corner is huddled the populace mingled with the lance-bearing soldiers4 ,they are sarcastically amused by ,claudius's undignified election to the great ,roman throne4 ,tragedy and comedy are most felicitously fused4 ,furthermore1 wonderful though the details be1 as they always are with ,alma ,tadema1 in this case the accessories do not withdraw our attention for one moment from the human interest4 ,marbles and draperies1 metals and flowers1 though so perfectly rendered1 take their natural place in the composition without detracting from the central interest4 ,and yet how exquisite in their archological and sthetic perfection are these accessories4 ,no wonder that in a picture from ,alma ,tadema's hand we look quite as much for the marbles1 the hangings1 the stuffs1 the mosaics1 the trees1 and the flowers1 as for the faces of his creations4 ,it would almost seem at times as though he had painted these accessories with even more care than he bestowed upon his men and women1 as if they interested him more4 ,indeed1 where flowers are concerned ,alma ,tadema seems to give to them an inner life1 a very physiognomy1 his flowers are inimitable1 both as suggestions and as realities4 ,even in the choice made it is quite remarkable how there is always a peculiar fitness to the picture's theme4 ,is there not1 for example1 to note but a few instances1 a tragic impress about the poppy beds in his picture of ,tarquinius ,superbus8 ,have not his red and pink oleanders a bloom and blush as fitting as that on the faces of the young lovers they shade8 ,do not the cypresses and the stone pines in his ,improvisatore adumbrate all the solemn mournfulness of a ,roman garden8 ,is there not a sensual note in the prodigality of roses that inundates his ,heliogabalus8 ,are they not almost arch in his ,love's ,missile1 in ,shy1 to name but a few of the many pictures in which trees and flowers figure as the very embodiment of the summer of life and nature4 ,indeed1 so exquisitely1 so superbly painted are these flowers that in some of ,alma ,tadema's minor pictures they actually assume the upper hand1 though of course unconsciously to the painter1 and become the protagonists in the composition4 ,there is one picture which he calls simply ,oleanders1 showing that he recognized himself how the flowers had impressed his imagination and gained precedence over the human beings with whom they were associated4 ,tadema's flowers are very poems1 and had he painted nothing but these he would have been a great artist4 ,illustration3 ,,spring4 ,it was of course inevitable that when he chose ,spring as his theme the composition should be rich in the delineation of such blossoms4 ,in this picture all the perfumed profusion of a southern ,may is summed up within the space of one little canvas4 ,a bevy of matrons1 maidens and children precedes what was probably an ecclesiastical procession4 ,they wend their way through the marble-paved streets of ,imperial ,rome to some temple shrine1 therein to celebrate the rites of joy due to the newly awakened season4 ,flower-crowned are the fair human blossoms1 flower-laden their garments1 flower-filled the offering-platters they are about to lay on the altar of the god4 ,the house-tops1 those fair flat house-tops of ,southern ,italy1 the spaces between the columns1 the loggias and the porticoes1 are crowded with eager spectators4 ,these1 too1 are flower-wreathed and flower-laden4 ,joy-filled1 spring-intoxicated1 they rain down upon the gay procession beneath1 posies and blossoms in glad and multi-coloured abundance4 ,marble and flowers1 sunshine and blue skies1 all life's gladness is here embodied by a painter's loving brush4 ,and how easy it all looks4 ,we feel as if the painter had just thrown all this lovely profusion with rapid hand upon the canvas4 ,but those who have the privilege of knowing ,alma ,tadema intimately and have watched the genesis of his pictures1 watched them as they grow from under his brush1 know how long and patiently he worked at this very canvas which gives an effect of spontaneity as though created d'un seul jet4 ,again and again did he scrape down his work1 erasing recklessly the most exquisite little figures1 the most perfectly modelled heads1 because they failed to satisfy the exigencies of the painter4 ,hence in this finished form the ,spring represents the work of two or three pictures4 ,and this is constantly the case in ,alma ,tadema's paintings4 ,from each canvas has been erased some gem1 under each picture is hidden some exquisite detail1 painted over regardlessly by the artist2 no matter how lovely it may be in itself1 if it fails to fit into the ensemble it is always destroyed4 ,hence there is in his pictures no corner or space that is neglected or hastily blocked in4 ,all is as perfect as he knows how to make it1 and ,i have heard him say1 not rarely1 that a little glimpse of sky1 some little peep into the open1 has given him as much labour as the entire picture4 ,for this excessive scrupulousness1 this difficulty to be satisfied with his own work ,alma ,tadema has often been criticised by critics4 ,quite unjustly so1 surely4 ,without this quality half of his power would be absent4 ,it is due to this great attention to detail1 this ceaseless searching after ever greater perfection1 that ,alma ,tadema has made for himself a style of his own4 ,thus1 for example1 when he perceived that his colouring was too sombre1 he reformed it by dint of diligence and care4 ,he has never deceived himself regarding his own limitations--for who has not limitations1 even among the greatest8--nor has he ever juggled with his sthetic conscience4 ,an emancipation from the conventional codes that is almost ,japanese is another feature of his work4 ,alma ,tadema does not hesitate to show us some of his personages as standing half outside the canvas1 or cut through mid-body1 or strangely placed in corners1 or at the edge of the composition4 ,neither does he deem it needful that the principal action1 as laid down by academic canons1 should be placed in the very centre of the picture4 ,it is this that gives the unusual note to many of his compositions1 that was unusual in the days when they were still unknown1 for since those days his work has been subjected to that imitation which the old proverb tells us is the sincerest form of flattery4 ,illustration3 ,,an ,,audience ,,at ,,agrippa's4 ,sterner and more stately than ,spring1 indeed grand in its conception and execution1 is ,an ,audience at ,agrippa's1 in which a whole historic epoch is crystallized and rendered concrete4 ,here fidelity to archological truth has but enhanced the importance of the scene and helped to throw it into prominence2 nor are the details unduly emphasized to the detriment of the whole4 ,in some respects this is one of ,tadema's best conceived and most satisfactorily executed pictures4 ,from an atrium on a high level1 down a broad flight of steps1 majestically descends ,marcus ,vipsanius ,agrippa1 the greatest and mightiest burgher of his day4 ,he is clad in imperial red1 and stands out marvellously against the white marble of the stairs4 ,his face is set with a look of stern determination that speaks of unbending will4 ,he is followed by a crowd of persons1 some of whom are still bowing1 though ,agrippa has passed by4 ,upon the landing at the bottom of the stairs--a marvel of blue mosaics with a tiger skin lying across it--there is a table4 ,on this stands a silver ,mars and materials for writing1 for the use of two scribes standing behind it4 ,note the character in these heads1 the close-cropped hair that denotes their servile rank1 the cringing salute1 each trying to outbid the other in humility of manner4 ,just before these figures1 at the foot of the staircase1 stands the world-famed ,vatican statue of ,augustus ,imperator1 the only man whose supremacy proud ,agrippa would acknowledge1 his device being1 ,to obey in masterly fashion1 but obedience to one person only4 ,below this statue1 where the staircase seems to turn at the landing1 is another group4 ,these three suitors1 father1 son1 and daughter1 are about to render a gift to accompany their petition1 for they know it is well to conciliate even the wealthy with gifts4 ,behind the whole shimmers one of those wonderful effects of light and sky that ,tadema rarely fails to introduce4 ,like his ,dutch ancestors1 he is never happy unless he can get some peep into the open through a window or a terrace4 ,he welcomes any device by which is accomplished an outlet to the sky1 producing thus an enhanced sense of space and atmosphere4 ,the greater part of this picture was painted in #ahge1 when the artist spent the winter in ,rome1 being driven out of ,england by the wreck of his lovely house in ,regent's ,park4 ,i well remember those days in the ,eternal ,city1 and one little incident connected with this picture illustrates a delightful trait in ,alma ,tadema's character and his naive enjoyment of his own work4 ,he had finished the tiger skin which lies at the foot of the stairs1 and in his delight over its successful achievement1 he asked me in boyish glee1 ,don't you see him wag his tail8 ,even in the indoor picture called ,an ,earthly ,paradise 7see frontispiece71 the sense of atmosphere and space is not absent4 ,the tale is here told with direct simplicity1 a young mother adoring her firstborn as mothers have done since time began4 ,the dress1 the furniture1 the surroundings are classic1 the sentiment is of all times and all ages4 ,a ,reading from ,homer 7see illustration1 p4 #af7 reproduces some of ,tadema's favourite devices1--a marble semicircular bench1 a distant glimpse of tranquil sapphire seas1 lustrous garments1 and flower-wreathed characters4 ,with eager enthusiasm the reader seated on his chair recites from a roll of papyrus that rests upon his knees4 ,of his four auditors only the woman1 daffodil-wreathed1 sits upon the marble exedra4 ,one hand rests upon a tambourine1 beside which is flung a bunch of flowers4 ,the other holds that of a youth who sits upon the ground beside her4 ,his other hand touches a lyre idly1 but without sound1 his entire interest is centred upon the reciter1 whose words he follows with the eyes of his soul and of his intellect4 ,yet another youth lies prone upon the marble floor1 his chin resting upon his hand4 ,he1 too1 gazes in entranced wonder as he listens to the immortal verses of the ,hellenic bard4 ,on the left stands another figure1 also flower-garlanded and wrapped in a toga4 ,his face reveals that his1 too1 is a keen appreciation of the power of the words being recited4 ,rarely has even ,tadema's magic brush painted a more luminous work1 so suggestive of sunlight1 so truly transfigured and remote from life's grosser moments4 ,here1 too1 his flesh treatment is above his own high average4 ,the modelling of the woman's figure and of the lover is especially fine4 ,it seems incredible1 and yet it is true1 that this composition1 a large one for ,alma ,tadema1 with its five figures and innumerable accessories1 was entirely painted in the brief space of two months4 ,still1 though completed in so short a time1 the preliminary studies1 including an abandoned picture1 which was to have been called ,plato1 filled eight months of close application4 ,illustration3 ,,sappho4 ,not unlike in general treatment and in general purpose to the ,reading from ,homer is the picture simply entitled ,sappho4 ,in order to properly comprehend this work1 however1 some knowledge of the life story of the ,greek poetess is required4 ,not a few visitors to the ,royal ,academy1 where the picture was exhibited1 imagined1 with pardonable inaccuracy1 that the seated figure playing the lute1 and which certainly1 at first sight1 seems the most prominent1 filled the title role4 ,instead1 this is ,alcaeus1 the man who desired to gain the support of the mighty and gifted ,sappho1 for a political scheme of which he was the chief promoter4 ,but besides being a political rhymer1 ,alcaeus was also ,sappho's lover1 and as he is here rendered1 it is the lover who is most emphasized4 ,sappho herself sits behind a species of desk1 on which rests the wreath1 bound with ribands1 that was the crown of poets4 ,she is robed in pale green and gray1 and in accordance with tradition1 her raven black hair is filleted with violets4 ,beside her stands a young girl1 her daughter1 a sweetly graceful form1 less lovely than the mother1 but suggestive of maidenhood's enchantments4 ,the poetess is seated on the lowest tier of the marble triple-rowed exedra1 on which1 at a respectful distance1 are also disposed some of the pupils of her school4 ,dark1 wide-branched fir trees spread their crowns above this bench4 ,we are made to realize that their trunks are rooted far below1 there where the deep blue sea1 shimmering in the background1 laps the earth that supports this scene4 ,through the branches is seen the sky1 a sky of purest sapphire1 a blue distinct from that of the tideless tranquil ocean1 but no less glorious or intense4 ,nowhere perhaps better than here has ,tadema reproduced the effects of summer seas and skies in their brilliant ardour1 their palpitating delicacy of hue and texture4 ,the very air that pervades the picture is hot and light1 saturated and quivering with the quickening pulsation of a southern sun4 ,the intimate life of the ,roman women has often attracted ,alma ,tadema's brush4 ,we see this again and again in ,well-protected ,slumber1 in ,quiet ,pets1 in ,departure1 the scene suggested by ,theocritus's fifteenth ,idyll1 in ,the ,bath1 in ,apodyterium 7or women's disrobing-room71 and it is also accentuated in the ,shrine of ,venus1 a scene in a ,roman hairdresser's shop4 ,this picture was exhibited at the ,royal ,academy in #ahhi1 where it attracted considerable attention1 not only because of the perfection of its painting1 the beauty of marbles and metals and textiles1 the richness of its soft1 full colour1 its yellows and blues1 but because of the masterly skill with which the human figures were painted 7see illustration1 p4 #cb74 ,two beautiful young girls1 one awaiting her turn to be coiffe1 caressing the masses of her thick1 dark1 loosened hair1 the other already dressed1 lingering to gossip with her friend1 are reclining on a marble bench4 ,these are so entirely absorbed in their own beauty that they pay but slight attention to the entrance of a tall1 simply attired matron1 who1 glancing inquiringly in their direction1 passes on to an inner apartment4 ,in sweeping by she has carelessly plucked one from a mass of blossoms heaped upon a coloured marble table in the outer shop1 and her hand1 holding the flower1 falls heavily beside the warm white folds of her gown4 ,at the open lunette shop window1 exposing to view coils and twists of hair1 some attendants are distributing vases and lotions to the customers1 whose heads appear above the marble balustrade1 on which stands a deep blue vase1 encrusted with exquisite enamel figures4 ,the figure of the attendant who is reaching down an alabaster pot is especially graceful and free in poise4 ,although the marble screen1 surmounted by fluted columns1 and the lunette window are sliced off at the top1 the picture gives no impression of confinement4 ,this sense of space is increased by the rim of a marble basin in the immediate foreground1 the reclining figures which lower the eye level1 and the skilful introduction through the open window1 above the heads of the passers-by1 of the entrance columns and intricate faade of an adjoining building4 ,the triangle of blue sky and the blue glass vase standing out against the distant columns of the building across the square form one of ,alma ,tadema's many happy combinations4 ,in some respects the most important picture painted by ,alma ,tadema of late years is called ,the ,coliseum1 which excited wondering praise for its masterly handling1 its colour scheme1 its archological knowledge1 when exhibited at the ,royal ,academy in #ahif4 ,attached to the title in the catalogue was this motto from ,lord ,byron's ,don ,juan that gave the keynote to that which the artist desired to express3 ,and here the buzz of eager nations ran ,in murmured pity1 or loud-roared applause1 ,as man was slaughtered by his fellow man1 ,and wherefore slaughtered1 wherefore1 but because ,such were the bloody circus' genial laws1 ,and the ,imperial pleasure4 ,wherefore not8 ,dominating the whole picture1 and occupying more than half of its canvas1 is the huge ,flavian ,amphitheatre colloquially known throughout the whole world as the ,coliseum4 ,even in the title therefore in this case the inanimate object takes the first place1 relegating to a secondary rank the human interest4 ,very wonderfully does the artist convey to our eyes a sense of the gigantic bulk and height of the huge ,amphitheatre1 and with accurate archological knowledge has he reconstructed its form upon his canvas4 ,here are its two tiers of arcades1 whose arches1 we learn from the evidence of tradition1 inscriptions and ancient coins1 were filled1 as in the painting1 with groups of colossal white marble statues4 ,above these arcades rose a series of pilasters1 and above these again1 supported on the topmost parapet1 were stout poles that held the velarium or canvas awning which sheltered from the sun or rain the thousands of spectators gathered to witness the bloody deeds which took place in the arena below4 ,these supporting poles stand out distinct against the glowing sky1 a sky always introduced if possible by ,alma ,tadema4 ,the hour chosen is late afternoon1 when from out the ,amphitheatre pour the thousands who have lately thronged the tiers upon tiers of seats that surrounded the arena1 high functionaries and proletariat1 tender-born ladies and women of the market-place1 all equally eager to witness the orgies of blood that were here enacted4 ,outside the broad walk that encircled the ,amphitheatre stood the famous ,baths of ,titus1 second only in magnificence to the ,coliseum itself4 ,alma ,tadema has imagined for it a balcony of white marble1 raised high above the road4 ,on its parapet stand tall wide-mouthed sculptured vases1 connected together with thick festoons of yellow daffodils proving that the season of the year is ,alma ,tadema's favourite one of early spring4 ,a nude bronze statue of a nymph wreathing her tresses1 in accordance with the usages of the ,baths1 crowns the parapet of the balcony4 ,around her feet too1 are twined the wreaths of yellow flowers that give such a sunny note to the whole scheme of colour4 ,two ladies and a child have taken up their station on this festively decorated parapet1 evidently come thither to witness some spectacle of quite unusual importance that has called to the arena not only the populace1 but even the ,consul himself1 who1 preceded by his clients1 and attended by his lictors1 is seen issuing from the main exit of the ,coliseum1 which was almost in front of the ,baths4 ,to keep the way clear for the grandees1 some guards are roughly pushing back the dense crowd that is packed on either side of the roadway4 ,yet another crowd is issuing from the side door of the ,coliseum4 ,this mob is chiefly composed of plebs1 though among them are mingled palanquin bearers plying for hire4 ,yet further off again is seen the ,arch of ,constantine and the famous goal known as the ,meta ,sudans4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,coliseum4 ,it is not quite evident what it is that chiefly interests these lady spectators4 ,we are told that the dark-haired and elder of the two is the little girl's mother4 ,for safety's sake she plucks at the child's gown for fear the little one in her excitement should fall over the low parapet4 ,the younger lady is more eager in her interest4 ,she1 who is supposed to be the child's governess1 has evidently recognized some one1 friend or lover1 in the crowd immediately below to whom the child is excitedly pointing4 ,the ,athenum1 when describing this picture on its first exhibition1 wrote concerning it3 ,it would be difficult to do justice to the breadth1 brilliance and homogeneity 7in spite of its innumerable details7 of this splendid picture4 ,the painting of the minutest ornaments1 the folds of the ladies' garments1 even the huge festoons we have referred to1 and the delicate sculptor's work of the vases and mouldings on the balcony are equally noteworthy4 ,even more to be admired are the faces1 of which that of the maiden in blue is undoubtedly the sweetest and freshest of all ,mr4 ,alma ,tadema's imaginings4 ,her companion 7the more stately matron7 who wears a diadem of silver in her black hair1 illustrates a pure ,greek type of which the painter has given us several examples1 but none so fine as this one1 which is very skilfully relieved against the peacock fan of gorgeous colours which she holds in her hand4 ,it is easy to imagine that in her noble spirit some thought of the victims of the ,amphitheatre arose1 which explains the painter's intention in choosing the motto of the ,coliseum4 ,the picture is certainly in every respect worthy of ,alma ,tadema's high reputation and is a perfect example of his style1 a brilliant work1 true and complete in every touch4 ,,the ,,principal ,,pictures ,,by ,,sir ,,lawrence ,,alma ,,tadema ,,with ,,the ,,names ,,of ,,their ,,owners ,,as ,,far ,,as ,,can ,,be ,,ascertained ,clotilde at the ,tomb of ,her ,grandchildren4 ,m4 ,jules ,verspreeuwen4 ,education of the ,children of ,clovis4 ,h4,m4 ,king of the ,belgians4 ,venantius4 ,a4 ,g4 ,hill1 ,esq4 ,fortunatus and ,radegonda4 ,a4 ,g4 ,hill1 ,esq4 ,gonthran ,bose4 ,a4 ,g4 ,hill1 ,esq4 ,egyptians ,three ,thousand ,years ,ago4 ,j4 ,dewhurst1 ,esq4 ,the ,chess-players4 ,sir ,henry ,thompson4 ,the ,egyptian at ,his ,doorway4 ,sir ,henry ,thompson4 ,the ,mummy4 ,john ,foster1 ,esq4 ,agrippina with the ,ashes of ,germanicus4 ,n4 ,g4 ,clayton1 ,esq4 ,a ,roman ,family4 ,john ,pender1 ,esq4 ,lesbia4 ,the ,marquis de ,santurce4 ,entrance to a ,roman ,theatre4 ,john ,straker1 ,esq4 ,roman ,dance4 ,john ,straker1 ,esq4 ,the ,discourse4 ,henry ,mason1 ,esq4 ,glaucus and ,nydia4 ,the ,marquis de ,santurce4 ,claudius4 ,the ,marquis de ,santurce4 ,tarquinius ,superbus4 ,sir ,henry ,thompson4 ,the ,visit to the ,studio4 ,m4 ,x4 ,puttermans ,bonnefoy4 ,phidias and the ,elgin ,marbles4 ,d4 ,price1 ,esq4 ,the ,siesta4 ,m4 ,gambart4 787 ,a ,roman ,amateur4 ,the ,marquis de ,santurce4 ,the ,convalescent4 ,hon4 ,w4 ,f4 ,d4 ,smith1 ,m4,p4 ,confidences4 ,f4 ,w4 ,cosens1 ,esq4 ,the ,pyrrhic ,dance4 ,c4 ,gassiot1 ,esq4 ,the ,chamberlain of ,sesostris4 ,h4 ,hilton ,phillipson1 ,esq4 ,a ,visit4 ,w4 ,houldsworth1 ,esq4 ,in the ,peristyle4 ,c4 ,r4 ,fenwick1 ,esq4 ,the ,silver ,statue4 ,the ,marquis de ,santurce4 ,a ,soldier of ,marathon4 ,alfred ,harris1 ,esq4 ,exedra4 ,the ,marquis de ,santurce4 ,the ,wineshop4 ,r4 ,christy1 ,esq4 ,tibullus at ,delia's4 ,m4 ,gambart4 787 ,a ,juggler4 ,the ,marquis de ,santurce4 ,the ,first ,whisper4 ,james ,hall1 ,esq4 ,the ,vintage ,festival4 ,baron ,schroeder4 ,hush4 ,mariano de ,murrieta1 ,esq4 ,une ,fete ,intime4 ,the ,marquis de ,santurce4 ,the ,widow4 ,m4 ,gambart4 787 ,the ,improvisatore4 ,alfred ,harris1 ,esq4 ,the ,death of the ,first-born4 ,sir ,lawrence ,alma ,tadema4 ,the ,nurse4 ,baron ,schroeder4 ,fishing4 ,baron ,schroeder4 ,the ,siesta4 ,w4 ,lee1 ,esq4 ,between ,hope and ,fear4 ,t4 ,g4 ,sandeman1 ,esq4 ,after the ,dance4 ,h4 ,f4 ,makins1 ,esq4 ,at ,lesbia's4 ,w4 ,j4 ,newall1 ,esq4 ,cherry ,blossom4 ,wilberforce ,bryant1 ,esq4 ,hide and ,seek4 ,john ,fielden1 ,esq4 ,pleading4 ,c4 ,gassiot1 ,esq4 ,the ,kitchen ,garden4 ,w4 ,lee1 ,esq4 ,the ,bath4 ,baron ,schroeder4 ,pandora4 ,royal ,society of ,painters in ,water ,colours4 ,the ,garland ,seller4 ,a4 ,d4 ,halford1 ,esq4 ,balneatrix4 ,h4 ,f4 ,morton1 ,esq4 ,a ,roman ,artist4 ,h4 ,j4 ,carr1 ,esq4 ,a ,garden ,altar4 ,a4 ,macdonald1 ,esq4 ,the ,first ,reproach4 ,h4 ,hilton ,phillipson1 ,esq4 ,the ,last ,roses4 ,sir ,james ,joicey1 ,bart4 ,m4,p4 ,on the ,steps of the ,capitol4 ,baron ,schroeder4 ,the ,sculptor4 ,john ,foster1 ,esq4 ,grecian ,wine4 ,the ,marquis de ,santurce4 ,cleopatra4 ,sir ,henry ,thompson4 ,the ,question4 ,d4 ,price1 ,esq4 ,fregonda at the ,death-bed of ,praetextatus4 ,d4 ,price1 ,esq4 ,water ,pets4 ,w4 ,lee1 ,esq4 ,the ,siesta4 ,w4 ,lee1 ,esq4 ,the ,architect4 ,john ,foster1 ,esq4 ,a ,sculpture ,gallery4 ,m4 ,gambart4 787 ,an ,audience at ,agrippa's4 ,the ,marquis de ,santurce4 ,after the ,audience4 ,henry ,mason1 ,esq4 ,a ,picture ,gallery4 ,m4 ,gambart4 787 ,wine4 ,w4 ,lee1 ,esq4 ,in the ,time of ,constantine4 ,j4 ,w4 ,knight1 ,esq4 ,a ,hearty ,welcome4 ,sir ,henry ,thompson4 ,a ,sculptor's ,model4 ,rt4 ,hon4 ,sir ,robert ,collier4 ,in the ,temple4 ,angus ,holden1 ,esq41 ,j4,p4 ,play4 ,j4 ,g4 ,sandeman1 ,esq4 ,a ,well-,protected ,slumber4 ,j4 ,s4 ,forbes1 ,esq4 ,antistius ,labeon4 ,the ,marquis de ,santurce4 ,love's ,missile4 ,john ,fielden1 ,esq4 ,cherry ,blossom4 ,wilberforce ,bryant1 ,esq4 ,a ,torch ,dance4 ,john ,paton1 ,esq4 ,ave ,caesar6 ,i ,saturnalia4 ,j4 ,dyson ,perrins1 ,esq4 ,quiet ,pets4 ,m4 ,verstolk ,volekin4 ,reflections4 ,lord ,battersea4 ,a ,harvest ,festival4 ,james ,barrow1 ,esq4 ,a ,pastoral4 ,wakefield ,christy1 ,esq4 ,an ,audience4 ,g4 ,h4 ,boughton1 ,esq41 ,a4,r4,a4 ,the ,tepidarium4 ,sharpley ,bainbridge1 ,esq4 ,cleopatra4 -- ,hawk1 ,esq4 ,young ,affections4 ,henry ,joachim1 ,esq4 ,sappho4 ,m4 ,coquelin4 ,repose4 ,m4 ,coquelin4 ,oleanders4 ,on the ,way to the ,temple4 ,shy4 ,who ,is ,it8 ,hadrian ,visiting a ,british ,pottery4 ,expectations4 ,a ,reading from ,homer4 ,an ,apodyterium4 ,not at ,home4 ,down to the ,river4 ,pomona's ,festival1 ,departure4 ,the ,seasons4 ,the ,silent ,counsellor4 ,a ,bacchante4 ,at the ,shrine of ,venus4 ,heliogabalus4 ,the ,women of ,amphissa4 ,spring4 ,herr ,robert ,mendelssohn4 ,the ,benediction4 ,past and ,present ,generations4 ,love's ,jewelled ,fetter4 ,geo4 ,mc,culloch1 ,esq4 ,fortune's ,favourite4 ,herr ,robert ,mendelssohn4 ,unwelcome ,confidence4 ,america4 ,a ,coign of ,vantage4 ,america4 ,whispering ,noon4 ,sir ,samuel ,montagu4 ,the ,coliseum4 ,america4 ,a ,difference of ,opinion4 ,america4 ,nobody asked you1 ,sir1 she said 7water colour74 ,australia4 ,watching4 ,her eyes are with her thoughts and they are far away4 ,america4 ,wandering ,thoughts4 ,america4 ,melody4 ,america4 ,roses1 ,love's ,delight4 ,the ,czar of ,russia4 ,the ,conversion of ,paula4 ,america4 ,hero4 ,america4 ,a ,listener4 ,the ,tate ,gallery4 ,thermae ,antoninae4 ,america4 ,goldfish4 ,sir ,ernest ,cassell4 ,vain ,courtship4 ,sir ,ernest ,cassell4 ,under the roof of ,blue ,ionian ,weather4 ,sir ,ernest ,cassell4 ,the year's at the ,spring 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ,all's well with the world4 ,alfred de ,rothschild1 ,esq4 ,,the ,,principal ,,portraits ,,by ,,sir ,,lawrence ,,alma ,,tadema4 ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,hueffer4 ,dr4 ,w4 ,epps4 ,prof4 ,g4 ,b4 ,amendola4 ,l4 ,lowenstam1 ,esq4 ,my ,youngest ,daughter4 ,my ,children4 ,herr ,henschel4 ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,semon4 ,herr ,hans ,richter4 ,ludwig ,barnay as ,mark ,antony4 ,sir ,henry ,thompson4 ,herbert ,thompson1 ,esq4 ,mrs4 ,rowland ,hill and ,children4 ,george ,simonds and ,family4 ,mrs4 ,marcus ,stone4 ,a ,family ,group4 ,miss ,enid ,ford4 ,maurice ,sons4 ,portrait of ,himself for ,uffizi4 ,lady ,waterlow4 ,miss ,tina ,mavis4 ,mrs4 ,george ,lewis and ,miss ,elizabeth ,lewis4 ,mrs4 ,george ,armour of ,princetown4 ,prof4 ,george ,aitchison1 ,r4,a4 ,max ,waechter4 ,,chiswick ,,press3 ,,printed ,,by ,,charles ,,whittingham ,,and ,,co4 ,,tooks ,,court1 ,,chancery ,,lane1 ,,london4