Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema was an English painter in the academic tradition. Born in Dronrijp, the Netherlands, and trained at the Academy of Antwerp, Belgium, he settled in England in 1869. His paintings are noted for fine detail, smooth finish, and the realistic representations of textures. Most of his works, such as A Roman Emperor (1871), depict idealized settings of ancient civilizations or medieval France. He joined the Royal Academy in 1879 and was knighted in 1899.