Object number1939.4.1
An Exedra
Date1869/1870
Artist
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema
(British b. Netherlands, 1836 - 1912)
MediumOil on panel
DimensionsFramed: 21 3/4 x 30 1/2 x 2 3/8 in. (55.25 x 77.47 x 6.03 cm)
Unframed: 15 x 23 3/4 in. (38.1 x 60.33 cm)
Unframed: 15 x 23 3/4 in. (38.1 x 60.33 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Avery Coonley (Queene Ferry, class of 1896)
On View
On viewPeriod19th c
Classification(s)
Terms
SignedSigned (LR): L Alma Tadema
ProvenanceCollection of Dexter Mason FerryExhibition HistoryAmsterdam, Netherlands, Van Gogh Museum and Liverpool, England, Walker Gallery, "Lawrence Alma Tadema," Nov. 29 1996- Aug. 6, 1997;
Pacific Palisades California, The Getty Villa, "The Last Days of Pompeii: Decadence, Apocalypse, Resurrection," September 12, 2012 - January 7, 2013;
Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland Musuem of Art "The Last Days of Pompeii: Decadence, Apocalypse, Resurrection," February 24 - May 19, 2013;
Quebec, Canada, Musee national des beaux-arts du Quebec, "The Last Days of Pompeii: Decadence, Apocalypse, Resurrection," June 13 - September 9, 2013.
Label TextIn this painting of a curved public bench called an exedra, Alma-Tadema displayed a fascination with ancient Rome common among nineteenth-century British artists. The monument depicted (of which the artist owned a photograph) commemorates the aristocratic priestess Mamia who lived in Pompeii during the first century CE. In this scene, figures gather at the bench to rest, converse, and examine the inscription honoring Mamia. Yet the face most visible to the viewer belongs to the youth at lower left who sits holding an unwieldy umbrella with this back to the group. Indicating his status as an enslaved person is the name of his owner, Holconius, emblazoned on his chiton.
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