On various occasions he used Greek vases as props, and Ian Jenkins (1983) has identified three vase types in Lachrymae: a white-ground hydria stands on the Doric grave stele, while at its foot rest a red-figured kylix and a kalpis. The artist, traditionally educated, was familiar with the art and literature of antiquity. The Painting: Leighton’s title, Latin for "tears," indicates that this figure draped in Victorian mourning black personifies grief. Raised to the peerage as Lord Leighton of Stretton in 1896, the year of his death, he nevertheless represented the end of an era and left no pupils or followers. Elected president of the Royal Academy in 1878 by a large majority, he became Victorian painting's spokesman and figurehead, known for his elegant, nostalgic, academic style. The Artist: As a child, Leighton traveled widely with his family on the continent and studied painting in various European cities, before settling in London in 1859.
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