A Foregone Conclusion, Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1885

​Hold your breath. Shhhh…. Mustn’t interrupt what may happen in this classical Greek or Roman setting…as the suitor works up his nerve. Only a wall and a few steps separate the lovers. Clearly, as the title implies, she will accept his engagement ring. But the clasped hands with her girlfriend, dead center in the picture, show she, too, is anxious. And that wall has a tall, hard edge. Beyond, the artist paints a broad, open sea, suggesting, to us, the glorious, expansive future awaiting them together—if only….