Julie Šamberková as Messalina

Painted in 1876, this portrait of the Czech actress Julie Šamberková in the role of Messalina — the notoriously licentious third wife of Emperor Claudius — combines theatrical portraiture with classical history in a manner characteristic of the period's fascination with antiquity. Šamberková was a celebrated figure of the Czech National Theatre, and the portrait connects Brožík's academic painting to the cultural nationalism embodied by the Czech theatrical revival. Messalina as a character allowed the actress to embody extreme femininity — beauty, ambition, and transgressive sexuality — within the safe container of historical role-playing. The National Gallery Prague's holding of this early Brožík (he was just twenty-two in 1876) documents his ability to handle complex, psychologically charged subjects from the beginning of his professional career.

Oil on canvas combining the demands of portrait likeness with theatrical costume and pose. The Roman costume — draperies, jewelry, hairstyle — is rendered with archaeological attention, while the actress's individual features must remain recognizable through the historical disguise. The dramatic pose appropriate to the stage character is balanced against the need for psychological specificity in a portrait.