Terms and conditions of use
Ulysses and the Sirens
1891
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
100.6 × 202.0 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, 1891
© Public Domain
Gallery location
19th Century European Paintings Gallery
Level 2, NGV International
About this work
This dramatic painting illustrates an episode from the journeys of the Greek hero Odysseus (Ulysses in Latin) as told in the poet Homer’s Odyssey, in which the infamous sirens lured sailors towards perilous rocks and their doom by singing in an enchanting manner. Ulysses wished to hear the sirens’ song and ordered his crew to lash him to a mast and block their ears in order to ensure their safe passage. John William Waterhouse has depicted each siren with the body of a bird and the head of a beautiful woman. He borrowed the motif from an ancient Greek vase in the British Museum, London.
Artwork Details
Inscription
inscribed in black paint l.r.: J. W. WATERHOUSE. / 1891
Accession Number
p.396.3-1
Department
International Painting
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited
Subjects (general)
Human Figures Marines and Seascapes Religion and Mythology
Subjects (specific)
Odysseus and the Sirens Odysseus, King of Ithaca (Greek character) Odyssey (epic poem, Homer, 8th century BCE) perils seamen singing (perfoming arts genre) sirens (imaginary beings) temptations
Movements
Victorian
Provenance
Exhibited Royal Academy, London, 1891, no. 475; purchased from the artist for the NGV, 1891.
Exhibited Royal Academy, London, 1891, no. 475; Victorian Olympians, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 20 June –20 July 1975, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 12 August –14 September 1975, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, 26 September –26 October 1975, no. 39; Queens & sirens: Archaeology in 19th century art and design, Geelong Art Gallery, Geelong, 26 September – 1 November 1998, no. 9; European Masterpieces: Six Centuries of Paintings from the National Gallery of Victoria, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne touring to Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati 27 October 2000–14 January 2001, Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, 18 March – 26 May 2001, Denver Art Museum, Denver, 23 June – 9 September 2001, Portland Art Museum October 2001–6 January 2002, no. 77; J.W. Waterhouse: The Modern Pre-Raphaelite, Groninger Museum, Groningen; Royal Academy of the Arts, London; Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, December 2008 – February 2010, no. 22.
Frame
Original, maker unknown
Frame
Purchased from the Royal Academy in the year it was shown, Ulysses and the Sirens retains the original frame.
Made from profiled timber, featuring a deeply recessed scotia and a reeded leading edge, the frame is water gilded overall with a matte surface.
This work is representative of the nineteenth century approach to building the collection through the acquisition of paintings contemporary with the date of purchase, either directly from the artist or from the Salon or Academy exhibition.
Entering the collection in 1891, this frame is almost certainly the model for the frame made by Isaac Whitehead’s son for Rupert Bunny’s Sea idyll, framed the following year.
Frame Details
Framemaker
Unknown - 19th century
Date
1891
Materials
timber profile and gold leaf
Frame Condition
good original condition