Artwork Page for Glaucus and Nydia

Details / Information for Glaucus and Nydia

Glaucus and Nydia

1867
(British, 1836–1912)
Measurements
Framed: 55.5 x 81 x 4.5 cm (21 7/8 x 31 7/8 x 1 3/4 in.); Unframed: 39 x 64.3 cm (15 3/8 x 25 5/16 in.)
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Alma-Tadema, one of the most popular Victorian painters, became famous for his depictions of the luxury and decadence of the Roman Empire. His vision of the ancient world was constantly reproduced on film in Hollywood.

Description

"It was one of the few moments in her brief and troubled life that it was sweet to treasure." Weaving a rose garland as a present for her beloved master Glaucus, the blind servant Nydia resists speaking of her love for him. The scene is based on Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton's enormously popular historical novel The Last Days of Pompeii (published in 1835), a melodramatic epic set in ancient Roman times, which culminates with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Responding to the 19th-century appetite for things antique, the artist filled his historical scenes with depictions of Roman frescoes and statuary. Dutch by birth, Alma-Tadema made this picture in Brussels for a London art dealer. But the demand for such paintings became so great that he moved to England, where he achieved great financial and social success.
A horizontally oriented oil painting depicts a figure with light skin tone reclining on a yellow couch. Wearing a white garment with black geometric trim, they gaze toward a woman with dark hair sitting on a mosaic floor below. Dressed in purple, she weaves a pink floral wreath. To our right, a carved marble pedestal holds a statue beside a leafy plant, while a mural decorates the left wall.

Glaucus and Nydia

1867

Lawrence Alma-Tadema

(British, 1836–1912)
England, 19th century

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