A Favourite Poet – Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1889

A FAVOURITE POET

Steel engraving made by Leopold Löwenstam in 1889 after the painting (Opus CCXC) by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. Signed in pencil by both Alma-Tadema and Löwenstam. Coloured by a later hand. Size: 34.5 × 46.5 cm.

Beautiful women are portrayed in the luxury of their leisurely lifestyle.

A passage is being read aloud from a papyrus scroll. The blushing cheeks and dreamy gaze of the listening girl suggest that her thoughts have drifted to a love elegy.

The wall in the background is adorned with bronze reliefs that serve as revolving window panels; they depict the Muses and emphasize the literary context. On the first panel, only the lower legs of a standing figure are visible — they could belong to Apollo. The presence of this half-hidden figure evokes the erotic daydream in which the female listener is completely absorbed.

The open window reveals a typically Mediterranean sea view. A languid atmosphere prevails. Sunlight pours into the room, illuminating the marble and accentuating the body of the seated figure, visible through the thin fabric of her dress.

Price: SOLD