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

Messrs. Ernest Gambart (commissioned from the artist in 1871 and sold: Christie's, London, February 9, 1874, lot 141)
Arthur Tooth & Sons, Ltd., London
Lord Angus Holden (by 1882 and sold: Christie's, London, July 18, 1913, lot 22)
Arthur Tooth & Sons, Ltd., London
Messrs. M. Newman, London (and sold: Christie's, London, December 2, 1955, lot 130)
Mr. Waters (acquired at the above sale and sold: Sotheby's, London, May 13, 1959, lot 81)
Mr. Fielding (acquired at the above sale)
H.S. Waldron (and sold: Christie's, London, October 9, 1959, lot 60)
Leger Galleries, Ltd., London (acquired at the above sale)
James Coats Gallery, New York, March 1961
Allen Funt, New York (and sold: Sotheby's Belgravia, London, November 6, 1973, lot 11, illustrated)
The Fine Art Society, Ltd., London (acquired at the above sale; until 1977)
Practice Development Associates, Lafayette, California
Dr. James Jackson, Klamath Falls, Oregon
Gordon Jackson, Toronto (inherited from the above in 1979 and sold: Sotheby's, New York, October 24, 1996, lot 107, illustrated)
Acquired at the above by the present owner

London, French Gallery, Eighteenth Annual Exhibition, 1871, no. 38
London, Grosvenor Gallery, Winter Exhibition: The Works of L. Alma-Tadema, 1882, no. 84
London, Arthur Tooth & Sons, Spring Exhibition, 1914, no. 9
New York, Robert Isaac Gallery, Exhibition Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Death of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1962, no. 3
Palm Beach, Florida, The Society of Four Arts, English Paintings of the Victorian Era: A Loan Exhibition, 1966, no. 2, illustrated
New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Victorians in Togas: Paintings by Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema from the Collection of Allen Funt, 1973, no. 11
Sapporo, Japan, Mitsukoshi Department Store, European Traditional Painting, 1976, no. 189, illustrated in color
Utah, Brigham Young University, 1979, no. 16 

Illustrated London News, April 15, 1871, p. 370
James Dafforne, "The Works of Laurence Alma-Tadema," Art Journal, XXVI, London, 1875, p. 12
Carel Vosmaer, Alma-Tadema Catalogue, Leiden, circa 1885, no. 106
Helen Zimmern, "L. Alma-Tadema Royal Academician: His Life and Works," Art Journal, Christmas Supplement, London, 1886, p. 14
Percy Cross Standing, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema O.M., R.A., London, 1905, p. 61
Rudolf Dirks, "The Later Works of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, O.M., R.A.," The Art Journal, Special Christmas Issue, 1910, p. 27
Christopher Forbes, Victorians in Togas: Paintings by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema from the Collection of Allen Funt, exh. cat., New York, 1973, p. 17, illustrated
Vern G. Swanson, Alma-Tadema, The Painter of the Victorian Vision of the Ancient World, New York, 1977, p. 136 (under the year 1871 as belonging to Dr. J. Jackson, Oregon)
Vern G. Swanson, The Biography and Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, London, 1990, no. 132, p. 162, illustrated in color p. 333

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting is in very good condition. The paint layer is clean and the panel is flat and stable. There has been no abrasion to the paint layer. The only restorations visible either under ultraviolet light or to the naked eye are in the lower cheek of the figure, presumably addressing a small blemish, and perhaps in the small pieces of sky on either side of the central columns. Other than this the painting is in beautiful condition. Important:
"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."

In In The Temple, a young priestess sounds her cymbals as a procession enters the courtyard. The marble altar (cippus) and brazier are copied from examples in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples, and the courtyard statue is based on Satyr (Kroupeziont) in the Uffizi, Florence. The model for the young priestess was Laura Theresa Epps, the artist's future bride who frequently posed for Alma-Tadema during their courtship. The marble satyr is also found in the artist's The Roman Lover of Art (1868), Hush! She Sleeps (1870), and in the watercolor version of In the Temple (1872).

The history of the present work includes the names of dealers, collectors and exhibitions inextricably linked with the history of Alma-Tadema and his reputation. The first among these is the dealer, Ernest Gambart, who commissioned the present work in 1871. Gambart was "the most influential art dealer of the last century" (Swanson, The Biography and Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, p. 29). He acquired his first works from Alma-Tadema in 1864 marking the beginning of a relationship that launched the artist's career and assured his financial success. The year 1871 was a pivotal one for the artist: he abandoned Brussels for life in London prompted by the onset of the Franco-Prussian war and married for the second time. According to Vern Swanson's catalogue raisonné of the artist's oeuvre, Alma-Tadema's output for the year 1871 included ten works, all Gambart commissions, documenting his exclusive contract with the artist. Upon its completion, Gambart immediately exhibited the present work at the French Gallery's Eighteenth Annual Exhibition in 1871, at which time it was cited in the April 15^th issue of The Illustrated London News.

The present work was exhibited at Alma-Tadema's first major retrospective held at the Grosvenor Gallery in 1882. "It was to be the largest showing of his work to date, with 185 pictures painted or drawn between 1840 and 1882...The critics were unanimous that Alma-Tadema was the greatest 'paint-handler' in Europe" (Swanson, The Biography and Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, p. 59). In the Temple was also part of the landmark auction of thirty-five works by the artist from the collection of Allen Funt (best known for his popular American television show, Smile, You're on Candid Camera) sold at Sotheby's Belgravia in 1973.