Sientje Tadema

One of the most successful artists of late Victorian London, Dutch-born Alma-Tadema became famous for his large-scale classical history and genre paintings. This small study of his cousin was painted during the artist’s student years in Antwerp. Sientje is seated in front of a wall hanging; the network of lines functions as an armature for the composition. Her blue-grey eyes, meeting ours, suggest her strength of character and intelligence.