Such works were enormously successful and Alma-Tadema enjoyed a sumptuous lifestyle in his house in the fashionable London suburb of St John's Wood (previously owned by Tissot), which he remodelled as a Roman villa. He was knighted in 1899 and received the Order of Merit in 1905. His success encouraged several imitators, including his wife Laura (1852–1909), his daughter (by a previous wife) Anna (1865–1943), and painters such as John William Godward (1861–1922) and Edwin Long (1829–91). However, Alma-Tadema's work went completely out of favour after his death, and his reputation did not revive until the 1970s. Now he once again pleases a large public: visitor surveys at the Getty Museum, Los Angeles, have revealed that his Spring (1894) is the most popular work in the collection.
Text Source: The Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford University Press)
