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Image for A Roman Emperor: 41 AD
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Image for A Roman Emperor: 41 AD
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Image for A Roman Emperor: 41 AD
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A Roman Emperor: 41 AD Thumbnail
A Roman Emperor: 41 AD Thumbnail
A Roman Emperor: 41 AD Thumbnail
A Roman Emperor: 41 AD Thumbnail
A Roman Emperor: 41 AD Thumbnail
A Roman Emperor: 41 AD Thumbnail
A Roman Emperor: 41 AD Thumbnail
A Roman Emperor: 41 AD Thumbnail
A Roman Emperor: 41 AD Thumbnail
A Roman Emperor: 41 AD Thumbnail

A Roman Emperor: 41 AD

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, R.A., O.M. (Anglo-Dutch, 1836-1912) (Artist)
1871
oil on canvas
(18th and 19th Centuries )

In AD 41, the debauched Roman emperor Caligula was murdered. Gratus, a member of the Praetorian, draws a curtain aside to reveal the terrified Claudius who is hailed as emperor on the spot. Beneath the herm in the background, lie the bodies of Caligula, his wife Caesonia, their young daughter and a bystander. The blood stains on the herm denote the struggle that has transpired as well as the setting, the Hermaeum, an apartment in the Palace where Claudius had sought refuge.

Opus LXXXVIII

Inscription

[Signature] On altar socle: L Alma Tadema; [Date] On altar socle: 71

Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.

Commissioned by Messrs Ernest Gambart, London, 1871; transferred to M. Pilgeram and L.H. Lefevre, London, 1878; purchased by William T. Walters, Baltimore, 1882; inherited by Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894; by bequest Walters Art Museum, 1931.

Exhibitions

2014-2016 From Rye to Raphael: The Walters Story. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.
1996-1997 Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. Amsterdam: Van Gogh Museum, AJ Amsterdam; Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.
1991-1992 Empires Restored, Elysium Revisited: The Art of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. Amsterdam: Van Gogh Museum, AJ Amsterdam; The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown; The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore; Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati; The Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis.
1977-1978 I, Claudius: Art in the Age of Julio-Claudians. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.
1882 Grosvenor Gallery, London, 1882. Grosvenor Gallery, London.
1878 Exposition Universelle. Paris.

Conservation

Date Description Narrative
4/19/1966 Treatment varnish removed; lined; inpainted; coated
8/16/1990 Loan Consideration examined for loan
7/15/1992 Loan Consideration examined for loan
5/22/1996 Loan Consideration examined for loan
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Geographies

(Place of Origin) Italy, Rome (Place Depicted)

Measurements

H: 33 7/8 x W: 68 5/8 in. (86 x 174.3 cm); Framed H: 50 3/4 x W: 86 x D: 5 1/2 in. (128.9 x 218.4 x 14 cm)

Credit Line

Acquired by William T. Walters, 1882

Location in Museum

Not on view

Accession Number

In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.

37.165

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Hours

  • Wednesday—Sunday: 10 a.m.—5 p.m.
  • Thursday: 1–8 p.m.
  • Monday—Tuesday: Closed

Location

600 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD
21201

Phone

410-547-9000

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