Lawrence Alma-Tadema tekent hunebed D14-Eexterhalte (Dr.)

Samenvatting

Lawrence Alma-Tadema draws hunebed D14-Eexterhalte (province of Drenthe). Among the drawings of Lourens Alma Tadema/Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836-1912) in the collection of the Cadbury Research Library of Birmingham University is a view of one of the hunebedden (megalithic tombs) in Drenthe. There is no name to identify the site, nor is the drawing dated. The only information provided on the green paper backing is ‘Early c. 1863 before 1860’. The hunebed concerned is D14-Eexterhalte, in the municipality of Aa en Hunze. The drawing shows the northern end of the 18-metre-long tomb. Its condition as recorded by Tadema is that after the ‘clean-up’ that took place in July 1871, shortly after the monument had become the property of the Province of Drenthe. The woman depicted on orthostat Z6 is probably Laura Theresa Epps (1852-1909), the artist’s second wife, whom he married on 29 July 1871. That year the artist, who was born in the Dutch province of Friesland, took her on a visit to his home country. They may have visited the hunebed during this trip. The monument’s easternmost capstone is now in a different position from that represented by Tadema, as a result of a restoration in 1965, when it was rotated 180°.