The Magic Circle 1886

by John William Waterhouse

Miracles, magic and the power of prophecy are common themes in Waterhouse's art. More specifically, the notion of woman as enchantress is one that recurs in images such as Circe Offering the Cup to Ulysees (1891, Oldham Art Gallery) and Hylas and the Nymphs (1896, Manchester City Art Gallery). His oeuvre also includes a number of middle-eastern subjects, in which he drew o...

Size:: 1829 x 1270 mm
Medium:: Oil on canvas
Credit:: Courtesy of Tate Britain (Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND (3.0 Unported))
More:: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/waterhouse-the-magic-circle-n01572

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Ioanna KarantagliConservator (76)
9 years ago
Miracles, magic and the power of prophecy are common themes in Waterhouse's art. More specifically, the notion of woman as enchantress is one that recurs in images such as Circe Offering the Cup to Ulysees (1891, Oldham Art Gallery) and Hylas and the Nymphs (1896, Manchester City Art Gallery).
Ioanna KarantagliConservator (76)
9 years ago
The Magic Circle is similar in composition to Waterhouse's later picture, Miranda (1916), also a woman associated with magic. The witch wears a similar dress to Miranda and her face can also only be seen in profile.

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