Midday Slumbers, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema | Mia

woman closing curtain with sleeping woman in backgound on R — Midday Slumbers, 1888
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema
Watercolor, pen and black ink over graphite
The Ethel Morrison Van Derlip Fund 75.51
Not on View
Lawrence Alma-Tadema achieved spectacular success in England producing dreamy, mildly erotic paintings of languorous Victorian beauties in gorgeously appointed antique spaces—Roman baths and markets, colonnaded Grecian terraces, Egyptian houses. His house in London was almost as renowned as his paintings. Reports describe classically inspired architecture, ornament, and mosaics, all designed by the artist himself. Paintings and house alike were informed by a deep knowledge of and fervent fascination with antiquity.

Alma-Tadema’s compositions present distant worlds with startling immediacy. Strong vertical elements here tightly crop the space, giving the viewer a sense of privileged intimacy in this glimpse of a woman indulging in a midday nap in a private back room of a house. An excellent colorist, Alma-Tadema was adept at representing the subtle effects of light and shadow in watercolor. Note, for instance, how the warm, diffuse afternoon light coming through the onyx windowpane contrasts with the dark shadows on the cold marble floor.

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Details

Title: Midday Slumbers
Dated: 1888
Artist: Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema
Nationality: Dutch (active Britain)
Artist Life: Dutch (active Britain), 1836–1912
Role: Artist
Gallery: Not on View
Department: European Art
Dimension: 26 1/8 x 10 1/4 in. (66.3 x 26 cm) (sheet)37 1/16 × 21 1/16 × 3 1/2 in. (94.14 × 53.5 × 8.89 cm) (outer frame)
Credit: The Ethel Morrison Van Derlip Fund
Accession Number: 75.51
Medium: Watercolor, pen and black ink over graphite
Country: England
Century: 19th century
Provenance: [Maple and Company, London, in 1913]. [Abbott and Holder, London; until about 1960; sold to Rowe]; Terrence Rowe, London (about 1960-75; to Hartnoll); [Julian Hartnoll, London, 1975; sold, for £3,750, to MIA]
Rights: Public Domain
Classification: Drawings
Object Name: Drawing
Catalogue Raisonne: Alma-Tadema opus no. 285
Wikipedia: Cite this information
Metadata: Click here to see the machine readable JSON data that underpins this page.
Curator Approved: This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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