'A Coign of Vantage' by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

'A Coign of Vantage' (1895) by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema; Private Collection

I contemplated posting a lesser known painting by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema and there are plenty of nice ones, but 'A Coign of Vantage' is still my favourite. I keep forgetting that Tadema was a Dutch painter, probably because he was highly influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite painters and some even considered him to be a member of the brotherhood. He became famous for his depictions of classical themes. Born in The Netherlands on the 8th of January, 1836, he trained at the Royal Academy of Antwerp, and moved to England in 1870. He lived there for the rest of his life and became the most succesful painter of his time.