Lawrence lived a passion for art all of his life. He showed potential from an early age, but is not classed as a child prodigy, as he did not attend any formal “master classes” until he was sixteen years of age. He trained in Antwerp under landscape artists and excelled in his work. He did not win many prizes as a young man, but he simply pursued his passion until the results followed.
Below is a very short list of his works, listed in date order.
1869 Confidences
1870 The Vintage Festival
1874 The Sculpture Gallery
1879 Poetry
1879 Prose
1883 Antony and Cleopatra
1885 Expectations
1887 The Women of Amphissa
1888 The Roses of Heliogabalus
1889 A Dedication to Bacchus
1890 Promise of Spring
1893 Unconscious Rivals
1895 A Coign of Vantage
1896 A Difference of Opinion
1896 Whispering Noon
1904 The Finding of Moses
1906 Ask me no more
1909 A Favorite Custom
Although Lawrence was not decorated with awards as a young man, he found fame and fortune when he moved to London in 1870, at the age of 34 and changed his name. He would now be at the top of any alphabetical listing of artists. He must have had a great resolve, as he had lost his wife and son and was in the process of raising two small daughters. He met and married again. In 1899, he received a knighthood from Britain and in 1905 received the prestigious Order of Merit for his work in the arts.
His clients were a whose who in European society. They included the British Royal Family, the Russian Imperial Family, the British Prime Minister and the Polish Prime Minister. He is understood to have painted about 400 paintings and about 20% were commissioned portraits.
Lawrence Alma-Tadema’s works hang in most of the international galleries and some of them have been made into prints that are available at reasonable cost for everyone to enjoy.