Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, O.M., R.A.

Antwerp Society for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts (acquired in 1861)
King Leopold of Belgium (won from the above's lottery and hung in the Royal Palace, Brussels until sold after 1882)
Sir John Pender, London (by 1890 and sold Christie's, London, May 29, 1897, lot 81)
Stephen Gooden & Fox, London (acquired at the above sale)
Private Collection, Brazil (since the 1940s)
Property of an Estate, Brazil (and sold, Christie's, London, March 25, 1994, lot 84, illustrated)
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Antwerp, Salon Exposition d'Anvers, Artistique Congress, August 1861, no. 20
The Hague, Levende Meesters, 1861, no. 459
Amsterdam, Arti et Amicitiae, 1864, no. 1
Amsterdam, Arti et Amicitiae, 1866, no. 257
Paris, Exposition Universelle, 1867, no. 1
Munich, International Exhibition, July 1869
London, Grosvenor Gallery, The Works of L. Alma-Tadema, Winter, 1882, no. 8 
Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum; Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema,  November 29, 1996-June 8, 1997, no. 3 (lent by the present owner)

Frederick George Stephens, Selected Works of Sir Laurence Alma Tadema, R.A., a sketch of his life and work, London, 1895, p. 29
Carel Vosmaer, Alma-Tadema Catalogue Raisonné (unpublished manuscript), Leiden, circa 1885 (with later additions), p. 20
Georg Moritz Ebers, The Ebers Gallery, Stuttgard & Lepzig, 1886, pp. 21-4
Helen Zimmern, "L. Alma Tadema Royal Academician: His Life and Works," Art Journal, Christmas supplement, 1886, p. 4, illustrated p. 7
"Lawrence Alma Tadema, R.A.," Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly, vol. 32, July-December 1891, p. 493
Pictures and Drawings and Sculpture forming the Collection of Sir John Pender, 1894, p. 1, illustrated p. 180
"Six Popular Painters of the Royal Academy," Review of Reviews, IX, 1894, illustrated p. 692
The Monthly Illustrator, March 1896, no. 2, illustrated
Fedor Il'ich Bulgakov, Alma-Tadema, Petrograd, 1897, illustrated p. 14
Percy Cross Standing, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, O.M., R.A.: a sketch of his life and work, London, 1895, pp. 20-1
Rudolph de Cordova, "Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema, R.A.," Cassell's Magazine, December 1901-May 1902, p. 501, illustrated p. 506
Rudolf Dircks, "The later works of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema O.M., R.A., R.W.S.," Art Journal, supplementary monograph, Christmas issue, December 1910, p. 25
Christopher Forbes, "Introduction," Victorians in Togas, Paintings by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema from the Collection of Allen Funt, exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1973, n.p.
Vern G. Swanson, Alma-Tadema: The Painter of the Victorian Vision of the Ancient World, London, 1977, p. 12, 135
Vern G. Swanson, The Biography and Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, London, 1990, p. 129, no. 50, illustrated p. 290, discussed pp. 27-8
Christopher Wood, Olympian Dreamers, Victorian Classical Painters, 1860-1914, London, 1993, p. 108
Edwin Becker, Edward Morris, Elizabeth Prettejohn and Julian Treuherz, eds., Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, exh. cat., Amsterdam, 1997, p. 13, 23, 27, 66, 133-5, illustrated pp. 132-3, no. 3
R. J. Barrow, Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 2001, p. 16, 21, illustrated opp p. 16, no. 5

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting has been recently restored. The canvas has a glue lining. The paint layer is stabilized and well stretched. The painting is clean and varnished. As one very often finds with Alma-Tadema's work he has altered the composition in a few places and this pentimenti has given rise to some cracking in the dark colors in the clothing above the crouching figure in the lower left, in the red robe of the two figures standing in the center left and also in the curtain and the shadowed area of the cloisters above on the left side. In the wall behind the seated female figures there are a group old retouches addressing some cracks and slight disturbed glazes, in the tunic of the child throwing the hatchet there are a few cracks which have been retouched and there may be a few spots of retouching in the faces of the two girls immediately to the left of the pillar in the center. Other than this the faces and the hands throughout the painting are in fine condition, and apart from a small retouch in the neck of the central female figure, there are no other restorations. For a large and complex work this is a painting that not only looks beautiful, but is in excellent condition.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Education of the Children of Clovis (opus XIV) is Alma-Tadema's most accomplished composition of Merovingian history, and "first laid the foundation of his fame" (Ebers, p. 23).  Between 1855 and 1860, after completing study at the Antwerp Academy, the young Alma-Tadema was mostly occupied with painting subjects from the history of the Netherlands and Belgium focusing on episodes of war and conquest from the sixteenth century.  By the early 1860s, the artist had shifted his focus to Merovingian Gaul from the early fifth to mid-eighth centuries. Alma-Tadema's choice of subject was influenced by his apprenticeship with Louis De Taeye (1822-1890), less known for his history paintings than as Professor of Archeology at the Antwerp Academy, where he taught courses on history and historical costume. De Taye stressed the importance of archeological accuracy and in consulting primary sources and respected histories. After leaving De Taye's studio, Alma-Tadema secured a more prestigious placement with Baron Henri Leys (1815-69), considered one of the most important painters in Belgium. Leys was notable for his sixteenth and seventeenth century Romantic-Historical scenes from local history, painted with well-studied period detail but with an archaic style, suggesting the influence of the German Old Masters and Nazarenes (Barrow pp. 14-5; Julian Treuherz, "Introduction to Alma-Tadema," Becker et al., eds., Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1997, p. 13). Education of the Children of Clovis was the first major work completed under Leys' direction, and in his careful research and interpretation of the subject, Alma-Tadema grew from student to accomplished artist.

Merovingian history was not a widespread choice of subject for nineteenth century artists, but held a particular significance to the Dutch born Alma-Tadema. Netherlandish and French history can be traced back to the third century AD, when the Franks, a West Germanic tribe living along the Rhine, moved into the Roman Empire's provinces of Gaul (a vast region encompassing present day France, Luxembourg, Beligum, parts of Switzerland and Italy, the Netherlands and Germany).  They later divided into the Ripurians and the Salians who by the fifth century became the dominant presence from the area west of the lower Rhine to "Toxandria" (what is now the Netherlands and Belgium).  From the Salians came the rulers of Gaul, the Merovingian line of kings descending from Merovech (from whom the dynasty's name is derived) and pivitol figure Clovis I (reigning from 481-511).  Supported by the Catholic Church, Clovis overthrew the last Roman governor of Gaul, and unified the Salians and Ripurians into a powerful Frankish kingdom that extended from the Netherlands through the general area of present-day France. From this long, complicated, and often brutal history, Alma-Tadema takes Education of the Children of Clovis. 

In the present work, the imperious Clotilde, queen to King Clovis, sits on her throne, set within a marbled courtyard, possibly located in Paris established as the capital of the kingdom.  Flanked by attendants, courtiers and clergymen, Clotilde coolly watchs her two oldest sons, Chlodomer and Childebert, as they are trained in ax throwing, while her youngest, Chlotarius (also known as Clothar), remains at her side.  Choldomer's first attempt has gone off the mark, and with a steady stance he eyes his next throw as a group of soldiers assesses his chances. More than a game of skill, the exercise was intended for a specific purpose: Clotilde commanded her children to avenge the murder of her parents by her uncle Gondobald, king of the Burgundians (Barrow, p. 15; Teio Meedendorp and Luuk Pijl, "Catalogue," in Becker, ed., p. 133).

Clotilde's plan is recounted in Gregory of Tours' History of the Franks (AD 590), a source introduced to Alma-Tadema by De Taeye (as well as other nineteenth century historians' work like Augustin Thierry's Récit du Temps Méroviniens (1840)) when preparing his Merovingian subjects. In the History of the Frank's Book III, Chapter 6, Queen Clotilde entreats: "Let me not repent, dearest sons, that I have nursed you lovingly; be angry, I beg you, at the insult to me, and avenge with a wise zeal the death of my father and mother."  Gregory of Tours wrote his histories in an anecdotal style, often allowing characters to describe their dramatic life in the first person, which enlivened the historical accounts. Similarly, Alma-Tadema infuses Education of the Children of Clovis with carefully described architecture, costume, artifacts, and character to create a realistic yet personalized vision of history -- allowing it to be imagined and experienced by the viewer (Tieo Meedendorp and Luuk Pijl, "Alma-Tadema's artistic training, Critics on the continent 1852-1870," Becker, et. al eds., p. 24).  The artist also heightens the drama of the historical account, a practice he would continue to develop throughout his career. For example, in the original text, Clotilde issues her orders to her adult sons; their training as young boys is an interpretation by the painter (Barrow, p. 16; Becker, p. 133). 

While the revenge plot is bloody, the present work's training ground is set within a sumptuous palace courtyard, built of white marble bordered by columns with capitals mixing carved Corinthian schemes and Christogram.  Alma-Tadema's depiction challenges many historians' characterization of the Merovingians as a barbaric leftover of the Roman Empire.  Indeed, when Carl Vosmaer asked the artist why he had chosen a Merovingian subject he replied: "They are a sorry lot... still they are picturesque and interesting" (as quoted in Ebers, p. 14).  The members of the court wear dyed fabrics with gold embroidery, and the courtiers' red robes provide a vibrant color punctuation; sunlight glints off the soldiers' armour, the designs probably influenced by archeological discoveries made in the nineteenth century.  A stylized crucifix is painted on the wall and  a monk holds a codex signifying the increasingly important role the Church played in Clovis' court  (Clotilde is credited with converting her husband). Yet as R. J. Barrow suggests, the rough wood of the well-used target stands apart from the refined interior, perhaps a symbolic recognition of the primitive nature of the violent campaigns to come—which would cost ax-thrower Chlodomer his life. Alma-Tadema allows the viewer to follow these narrative clues with his compositional organization. The glimpse of open, blue sky at the top right corner, the greenery in the courtyard, and the diagonals of the decorative floor tile draw the eye throughout the scene to study the groupings of figures and the intimate details of this dramatic episode (Barrow, pp. 15-16).  The artist's careful consideration of these elements is apparent in differences between the present work and an elaborate black chalk drawing (see lot 65) and an 1868 oil version (Private Collection), which further medievalizes the scene.

Education of the Children of Clovis received critical acclaim immediately upon its exhibition at the Artistic Congress in Antwerp in 1861, and the artist went on to paint four other works of Merovingian history between 1862 and 1865. By depicting an early subject ignored by most artists, the twenty-five year old Alma-Tadema was able to make his own reputation and begin his career as an independent artist.  Interestingly one of the few detractors to the painting's popularity was Leys, who famously exclaimed of the finished work: "Ah, it is better than I thought it would be, but the marble is cheese!" (Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, "Laurens Alma-Tadema, R.A.," In the days of my youth...containing biographies of thirty well-known men and women of today, London, 1901, p. 204 as quoted in Meedendorp and Luuk Pijl, "Catalogue," Becker et. al, eds., p. 134).  Rather than be complacent in this criticism, it likely inspired Alma-Tadema to become the world's foremost authority on painting marble – one of his oeuvre's many hallmarks that began with Education of the Children of Clovis (Swanson, 1977, p. 12). Critics understood this determination and skill, which made Education of The Children of Clovis an early masterpiece.  One writer explained: "No one who has studied the long line of his works of art can have failed to notice how completely they are characterized by the quality of individuality" and "Education of the Children of Clovis already bore the distinctive marks that are stamped on all that Alma-Tadema says and does. Highly refreshing it is in these days, when men seem to be machine-made, and turned out by the dozen to find native originality not extinct" ("Alma-Tadema," 1891, p. 493).  Such originality was recognized early by the Antwerp Society for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts, which acquired the work from the exhibition at the Artistic Congress in Brussles. It was later acquired by King Leopold of Belgium, who hung it in the Royal Palace until it was sold after 1882 to raise funds for his for the treasury. By that time, Alma-Tadema had become one of the most celebrated artists of the late nineteenth century, Education of the Children of Clovis remaining a testament to the "half-savage, half-romantic, wholly enthralling epoch" of Merovingian history and the artist's early career (Cross Standing , p. 21).