At Home in Antiquity: Alma- Tadema at Leighton House Museum

Leighton House Museum are presenting one of the largest ever exhibitions of celebrated Victorian artist Lawrence Alma-Tadema...

Detail of 'Coign of Vantage' Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1895. On Display at Leighton House Museum 7th July- 29th October 2017

The exhibition will run until the 29th October, and explores Lawrence Alma-Tadema’s fascination with representing domestic life in antiquity.

In late-nineteenth century London, Alma-Tadema began to paint scenes imagining life in the ancient past of Egypt, Greece and Rome. He found a large market among a public captivated with the romance and mystery of antiquity; intensified by great archaeological discoveries of the period.

The artist gained international renown for his enigmatic compositions, informed by a huge amount of research and attention to detail. He painted from life, studied ancient objects at The British Museum, visited ruins in Rome and Pompeii, and amassed a vast collection of photographs from ancient sites across Italy.

His work is often credited with creating in the popular imagination a romantic sense of what the ancient past looked like, and the exhibition explores his influence in some of the major stage and screen events of the twentieth century, such as Joseph L Mankiewicz's Cleopatra (1963) and Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000).

To celebrate the exhibition, we've selected some beautiful nineteenth century pieces here at Grays reminiscent of Lawrence Alma-Tadema...

Hand-painted porcelain plate with classical scene, Vienna, late 19th century. Offered by Mousa Antiques

'Camel train before the tombs of the caliph, Cairo' Maxime Dastugue, Oil on Canvas ,19th Century. Offered by Patrick Boyd Carpenter

Gold and enamel bangle with putti, French or Swiss, c.1870. Offered by David Horton

Ornamental Meissen teapot, 19th century, Offered by K&M Antiques

18ct gold shell cameo of a classical lady, English, 19th century, Offered by The Antique Jewellery Company