| Lourens Alma Tadema, born in the Netherlands and adopted the now familiar form of his name after moving to London in 1870. In 1873 he became a naturalized British citizen, at the same time consciously joining his middle name, Alma, to his surname. Alma-Tadema received awards and honors from around the world (although notably not from his own country of birth) including a knighthood from Britain in 1899 followed by the prestigious Order of Merit in 1905. His clients included members of the British Royal family and the Russian Imperial Family. Approximately 60 of his 400 plus paintings are commissioned portraits of sitters ranging from the British Prime Minister Arthur Balfour to the Polish pianist and Prime Minister Ignacy Paderewski. |