Frederic Leighton was born in Scarborough and was the acknowledged leader of the Victorian classical school of painting. His grandfather, Sir James Leighton, was court physician to Czar Alexander I of Russia; and Sir James son was also a doctor. After Nicholas I became Czar in 1825, the Leighton family left Russia and spent the ensuing years travelling around Europe, giving their only son, Frederic, first-hand acquaintance with its cultural and artistic treasures.