A Favourite Custom
Painting by Lawrence Alma–Tadema
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A Favourite Custom is an oil on canvas history painting by the Dutch British artist Lawrence Alma-Tadema, from 1909.[1]
| A Favourite Custom | |
|---|---|
| |
| Artist | Lawrence Alma-Tadema |
| Year | 1909 |
| Type | Oil on panel, history painting |
| Dimensions | 66 cm × 45 cm (26 in × 18 in) |
| Location | Tate Britain, London |
Description
It depicts a scene in a bathhouse at Pompeii in Ancient Rome.[2] In the foreground, two naked women are seen playfully in a bathhouse pool. Produced near the end of his career, it characteristically combines two nude women with a meticulously recreated portrayal of the customs of a bathhouse. He had been producing similar such paintings since 1882.[3]
Provenance
The painting was displayed at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition of 1909 at Burlington House. It was then acquired for the Tate Gallery through the Chantrey Bequest for £1,750 a large sum for a smaller picture such as this. It remains in the collection of the Tate.[4]