Etruscan Vase Painters

Lawrence Alma-Tadema 1836 - 1912

Summary

The setting is a vase painters' workshop in ancient Apulia, in which the principal figure leans back to contemplate the red-figured lekythos that she is decorating from a design traced on parchment. Behind her, a man works on a large lebes gamikos (marriage vase). A glaux (red-figured drinking cup) and an aryballos (oil bottle) sit on the windowsill. Alma-Tadema specialised in historical genre scenes, turning almost exclusively to depicting the ancient world, following a visit to Florence, Rome, Naples and Pompeii in 1863. He drew heavily on his archive of drawings, photographs and watercolours of classical archaeology and architecture to fill his paintings with period details, although these were often an eclectic assortment. The fine building with Doric columns in the background suggests a Greek temple. A thriving centre for vase painting was established by Mycenaen Greeks, who colonised this area of southern Italy from the late 8th century BC.

Display Label

Etruscan Vase Painters 1871 Lawrence Alma-Tadema 1836-1912 Oil on panel The female artist stands back with a theatrical gesture to judge the effect of her work, her steady arms indicating an assured, professional approach to the traditional vase design she is painting. It may be that a dismissive attitude to female artists is indicated subtly here by her male colleague working on a vase with a more flowing, artistic pattern. Is his superior genius hinted at by his loose lock of hair and cocked little finger? Alma-Tadema was trained as an archaeologist, and he had an exhaustive knowledge of Greek and Roman art. He acquired a large reference collection of measured drawings and photographs of antiquities so that every object in his paintings could be as authentic as possible. Purchased with the assistance of the Victoria & Albert Museum Purchase Grant Fund 1980.233