Lamia by John William Waterhouse

Lamia by British Pre-Raphaelite artist John William Waterhouse, oil on canvas 1905, depicts a demonic figure from ancient Greek mythology. Once the beautiful queen of Libya, Lamia became the mistress of Zeus, and in a jealous rage Hera the wife of Zeus destroyed Lamia’s children and cursed her to devour the children of others. Lamia was also reputed to be a serpent and seductress, and thus the Waterhouse painting depicts her seducing a knight in armour, snake skin wrapped around her arm and waist. The Pre-Raphaelite painters are known for brilliant, jewel-like colours, decorative patterns, mediaeval and early Renaissance compositional styles, and painterly influences from the schools of Romanticism and Impressionism. John William Waterhouse (1849 - 1917) was an English painter of the Pre-Raphaelite school of the late 19th century. After studying at the British Royal Academy of Art, Waterhouse painted classical scenes from ancient Greek mythology, gradually acquiring the stylistic traits of the Pre-Raphaelites as well as the painterly qualities of the French Impressionists. Though overshadowed by the more famous members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Waterhouse exhibited with great success and produced many paintings with themes of female figures from mythology and the legends of King Arthur.