Painting Antiquity explores the archaeological dimension of the works of these three artists: in doing so, it addresses how the aesthetic engagement these artists had with ancient objects represented a unique and important development in the cultural reception of the past. Providing a space where biblical legend, historical anecdote and the domestic scene could coalesce, nineteenth-century paintings of ancient Egypt represent an important genre often subsumed beneath discussions of classicism in Victorian art. Moser does these works a considerable service in excavating, in their own right, their archaeological inspirations and aesthetic importance.