Artwork Title: The Roses Of Heliogabalus

The Roses Of Heliogabalus, 1888

Lawrence Alma-Tadema

Artwork Title: The Roses Of HeliogabalusArtwork Title: The Roses Of HeliogabalusArtwork Title: The Roses Of Heliogabalus
This is one of his most famous paintings. It depicts the Roman Emperor Egabalus (Heliogabalus), a debauched psychotic. In this episode, he is attempting to smother his unsuspecting audience with rose petals, which have been let loose from false ceiling panels. Alma-Tadema wanted each petal to be as perfectly realistic as possible, and had shipments of rose petals sent to him from the Riviera over the winter of 1887-1888, so he would have fresh examples.
52 x 84 in
Uploaded on Feb 25, 2013 by Wendy Wauters

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