Emperor Heliogabalus’s suffocation of his guests beneath a torrent of rose petals may not appear to be an uplifting subject for a painting, but Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema’s 1888 depiction of the scene, one of the great paintings of the Victorian era, has a special place in its owner’s heart.
The painting is among the 70 masterpieces from one of the world’s greatest private collections — that of Spanish billionaire businessman Juan Antonio Pérez Simón — set to feature in a new landmark exhibition in Madrid.
The show, at Madrid’s city hall cultural centre until January 12, highlights that Pérez Simón has the largest private collection of Victorian art to be found outside Britain. Some of it will feature in the exhibition, alongside iconic works by