Semiradsky Christ Martha Maria - Public domain scan / painting

Henryk Siemiradzki (1843–1902) followed the established canons of academic art, and was extraordinarily successful at it. His paintings show plots from Antiquity and mythology, as well as paragons of fine behavior, and early Christian and Biblical motifs. Born in the Kharkov Region (then part of the Russian Empire) into a family with Polish roots, Siemiradzki studied at the St. Petersburg Imperial Academy of Art but spent most of his life in Rome.