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Glaucus and Nydia

Lawrence Alma-Tadema

1867

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

british_romanticism Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century History Painting

Dominant colour

Glaucus and Nydia is a 1867 unspecified by Lawrence Alma-Tadema, a british_romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Lawrence Alma-Tadema
When & what style?: 1867 · british_romanticism
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

A blind girl sits on marble steps, weaving a rose garland in her lap. Behind her, a Roman courtyard glows with golden light. She’s Nydia, a servant in love with her master, Glaucus. This painting pulls from a bestselling 1830s novel about Pompeii’s last days. The story was a Victorian blockbuster—full of drama, doomed love, and volcanoes. Alma-Tadema paints Nydia’s quiet moment, not the disaster. Her fingers tremble slightly, hinting at feelings she can’t voice. If you like this quiet drama, look up *The Cleveland Museum of Art*. They’ve got more scenes like this.