In this artwork, how is the Panel (1887) of the History elucidated?
The picture was suggested, according to M. H. Spielmann, by the "paper knife" picture, as Lord Leighton called it, which he had painted for Sir Laurence Alma-Tadema's wall screen.Leighton was among a group of some 45 artists invited by Alma-Tadema to aid in the decoration of the atrium of his house in Grove End Road, St John's Wood (Leighton was offered one of Alma-Tadema's own pictures in kind). Each artist was tasked with painting a narrow panel—32 inches high and between 2½ and 8 inches wide—for The Hall of Panels.The difficulty of finding a subject was humorously suggested by Lord Leighton, who offered to paint a panel. Sir Lawrence sent him the dimensions. A few days after they met at dinner at the house of a mutual friend. They were sitting directly opposite one another, and, picking up a long, narrow-bladed dessert knife, Lord Leighton turned to his comrade in art and said: "My dear Tadema, what sort of subject do you expect me to paint on this?"
Lord Leighton Sir Laurence Alma-Tadema M. H. Spielmann