Among the Ruins – Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1905

“Among the ruins”, photogravure made by Arthur Tooth & Sons in 1905 after the 1903 painting by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. Image size: 23.1 x 37.3 cm.

Although Alma-Tadema set his paintings in the Classical world of marble and mosaic, his works are not dry archaeological reconstructions of the distant past. He populated his scenes with men and women who bring warmth to the finely detailed backdrops of seaside palaces, terraced gardens, and the interiors of thermae and villas.

Among the Ruins shows an elegant blonde young woman who, while walking along deserted beaches, has discovered the overgrown ruins of a forgotten temple. She stands among toppled columns and broken pediments, decorated with battling Amazons – a reference to a violent past. But in these more peaceful times, the commanders of the galleys no longer visit the temple of the sea-god Poseidon. Flowers have pushed their way through the temple floors, while storms and earthquakes have brought down its walls.

The girl bends among the irises and parts their stems, revealing the face of a bronze votive statue of a male deity. Her string of polished amethyst beads and her bracelets of gold and silver betray that she is no mere flower seller or temple servant, but a young woman of the patrician class – the sort who once built splendid villas along the Mediterranean coast.

In 1900 and 1901, Alma-Tadema was involved in a major production of the play Coriolanus, which was first staged under the direction of Sir Henry Irving on 15 April 1901. It would be Irving’s final Shakespeare production, and also his greatest commercial success: the play ran for thirty-four nights. Alma-Tadema designed all ten stage sets used in the production, as well as the entire wardrobe.

The Era Magazine wrote in 1901: “It is with a sense of absolute faith that we lean upon the antiquarian lore of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. A Visit to Coriolanus… is a liberal education in the attire, the furniture, the weapons and the architecture of Rome five hundred years ago.”

Although the performances of the lead actors received mixed reviews, Alma-Tadema’s designs caused a sensation and sparked a fashion craze for togas among the upper classes. American women in particular adored the Graeco-Roman tunics that were sold at Liberty’s department store and featured in the fashion magazines of the day. The dress worn by the woman in Among the Ruins is just the kind of design that became fashionable at the smart champagne parties of London and New York in the early twentieth century.

Price: Euro 1.850,-