Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1909-03-04
A GREAT PICTURE
OF OLD ROME
"A Vision of the Coliseum by
Sir Alma Tadema, a Re-
markable Work of Art.

From New York Letter to the Chicago
Record Herald.
There Is a remarkable picture on exhibit
| ton at the art store Of Arthur Tooth 4
Sons. 40 Fifth ave. 1t is entitled "A Vision
of the Coliseum and represents Sir AL
ma Tadema's ideas OF a gala performance
in that great place of entertainment In tho
golden age of Rome. The picture is not
only remarkable because of its historical
accuracy and it's wonderful color, but be-
cause 1t includes 5000 distinct faces and
figures in the audience-and is the work of
seven years with the brush and 20 years
of study and preparation. Sir Alma Ia
dema intended II for his masterpiece. and
if an artist can afford to rest his reputa-
ton upon single picture this is undoubt-
eddy safe venture any that was
ever made. 1t Is an extraordinary revel-,
alton of Tadema S technical powers aud
equally so of the breadth and culture OF
his Imagination.
The artist explains that he chose as his
subject gaia performance at the COLI
scum on the occasion of the nomination OF
his successor as emperor by Septiinus Sew
erus i'll the year A. ID. e0S, and the picture
shows him seated in the imperial box. Be
side him. on The same seat. sits Julia
Donna. his second wife. who did her ut
most to secure for her son. Geta. the honor
that had been bestowed upon his half
brother, Bassianus, known to history as
Y
passing surreptitiousl to a private at
tc,ldant letter for some influential per-
sonage in the audience. Caracalla stands
1T the right of the emperor, Geta stands
between his two sisters, and the period
is the interval between the first and sec
ond parts of til. entertainment while the
audience arc resting from excitement and
taking refreshments and slaves are clear
ing he arena of tho dead bodies and
other reminders of the first act, and strew-
ing fresh sand over the pools of blood The
FIRST act of these entertainments was linz
tied to the slaughter of tamo animals.
such asses, deer rabbits, etc, which
were let loose as Il prey To wild beasts,
When the audience was satiated with this
display of cruelty the keepers came forth
to coax the wild animals into their cages.
which can be seen in the picture under the
tiers of seats that surrounded the amphi-
theater.
Upon the back of Geta's toga a scene is
embroidered showing an old keeper, armed
only with a wand, patting the back OF "A
lion which follows HIM obediently
through a door. leaving his victim lying
| bleeding on The sand behind.
The picture embraces q segment Of about.
onc-seventl OF the anphitheater and
| shows three galleries of seats of solid mar
Bile which accommodated, not only the
| sitters, but the feet of those who occupied
/, the next row above. The space. allotted
/ to each person is numbered and marked
| off by lines. The lower tier fronts inn
| mediately upon the arena, protected by an
exquisitcly carved marble balustrade. 1t
| is narrow, and has o4lly three rows of
| seats, intended for the aristocracy. The
next division OF about ~ tiers of seats is
occupied by the we'll to do class of the Ro-
| man population, while the upper gallery
| is crowded with representatives, of the
| working classes. During tils intervals be
| tween the acts. refreshments are served by
| attendants IN costume. and the audience
| for the moment are relaxed and are Cos
| siping over the incidents OF the perform
| ance and the events of the day. Their
| costumes are painted with historic acciii-
4, acy and Sir Alma Tadena has endeav-
i ofed to include every variety of garment
/ worn by he various classes of the people
/ of Rome at that period Septimus Sew
crus, having been a North African. is rep
/ yesented as u negro, with black face
| and crinkly hair. The models used by
! Sir A lima Tadema bust in he Brit
1 !sh museum and several medals and coins
! which bear his efiigy. 1t this em-
= pcror who built the wall across Great
/ Britain from Carlisle to Newcastle TO pre-
vent the invasons of the Picts and Scots.
( md while experimenting hat great work
| IN the year 2l1 A. d.. he fell III at York
| and died there Fills remains were cremated
| aud the ashes carried to Rome in n golden
l.