John William Waterhouse RA (1849–1917) was one of the greatest
artists of his age and maintained close connections with the
Royal Academy of Arts throughout his working life. He entered
the Royal Academy Schools in 1870 and within just four years had
his first painting hung at the prestigious annual Summer
Exhibition. During the early stages of his career, Waterhouse
followed in the artistic footsteps of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema
(1836–1912) by paying close attention to archaeological detail
and portraying everyday scenes from the Classical past. In 1885,
Waterhouse was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy
following the success of St Eulalia at the Summer Exhibition of
that year. This image of a martyred 12-year-old girl was the
first of many paintings by Waterhouse that took the tragic fate
of a woman as its subject matter. Waterhouse’s Consulting the
Oracle, painted a year earlier, is also important as it marks
the beginning of his fascination with magic and the occult.
Indeed, it was supernatural and p