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19th Century European Paintings

The 19th Century Obsession with Costume Dramas

The 19th Century Obsession with Costume Dramas

19th century audiences loved a good costume drama as much as we do today. So, 19th century artists such as Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema, Giuseppe de Sanctis and Frederick Arthur Bridgman strove to recreate Roman pageantry and Byzantine grandeur as popular demand for opulent scenes of antiquity spread from the stage to canvas. Discover works by these artists and more in Sotheby’s European Art auction which will be held on 22 May in New York. 

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