Object number1939.4.1

An Exedra

Date1869/1870

Artist Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (British b. Netherlands, 1836 - 1912)

CultureDutch, British

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)

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Avery Coonley (Queene Ferry, class of 1896)

On View

On view

Period19th c

Classification(s)

Painting

SignedSigned (LR): L Alma Tadema

BibliographyMundy, James, The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center: Vassar College The History and Collection (New York: Prestel Publishing, 2007), p. 84, p. 85 repr; Coates, Victoria Gardner; Lapatin, Kenneth; Seydl, Jon L.; The Last Days of Pompeii: Decadence, Apocalypse, Resurrection (California: Getty Publications, 2012), p. 102, cat. no. 8, repr.ProvenanceCollection of Dexter Mason Ferry

Vassar Exhibitions

To the Divine Shades: Inscribed Epitaphs from Ancient Rome from the Permanent Collection

Exhibition 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.

Terms

genre pictures

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email loebcollections@vassar.edu