The Crystal Ball by John Waterhouse
"The Crystal Ball" was painted by the English Pre-Raphaelite artist, John Waterhouse (1849-1917). It's an oil on canvas, painted in 1902. In this John Waterhouse Masterpiece Painting, a woman in a red dress is gazing into her crystal ball. A skull and a book, perhaps filled with magic spells, lies open on the table before her.

Please note: This is the restored version of the painting. When the painting changed hands in 1952-53, the purchaser didn't want the skull in the painting and had it painted over. Later x-rays showed the skull in the original version, which we've presented for you here.