A Favourite Custom
- Artist: Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema
- Date: 1909
- Medium: Oil on wood
- Dimensions: support: 660 x 451 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “A Favourite Custom” by Sir Lawrence Alma‑Tadema. Painted in 1909, the oil on wood captures a playful scene in the ancient baths of Pompeii. In the foreground, one woman playfully splashes another who is bathing in the frigidarium, the cold pool of the Roman complex. Alma‑Tadema drew inspiration from photographs of the Stabian Baths uncovered by archaeologists in 1824, but he gave the ruin a touch of luxury—marble flooring and walls that you’d normally find in larger imperial baths. The little canvas, just over two feet wide, made a splash when it first appeared on the public stage and was immediately bought for the nation through the Chantrey Bequest. It’s a charming snapshot of leisure and daily life in antiquity, rendered with the meticulous detail and romantic taste that made Alma‑Tadema a favourite of his era.
See it in person
A Favourite Custom is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
