Circe Offering the Cup to Ulysses — John William Waterhouse (1891)

The enchantress and her cup

Enthroned on a golden seat carved with snarling lions, the sorceress Circe looks straight at us. In one hand she holds out a cup of wine laced with her magic potion; in the other she raises her wand high. But the viewer is not the one she is addressing. Look into the great round mirror behind her: Ulysses is there, reflected on her left, his hand on the hilt of his sword, wary. On the other side of the mirror, his ship waits at the shore. At Circe's feet lies a pig, and another lurks behind the throne: they are his companions, already transformed by her spell. Violets lie scattered on the mosaic floor.

A myth from Homer's Odyssey

In Book X of the Odyssey, Ulysses (Odysseus to the Greeks) lands on the island of Aeaea, home of the enchantress Circe. She welcomes his men with a feast, then turns them into swine with a single touch of her wand. Warned by the god Hermes, who gives him the protective herb moly, Ulysses resists her potion, draws his sword and forces her to restore his crew to human form. He then stays with her for a whole year. Waterhouse chose the most suspenseful moment of the story: the cup is offered, and we do not yet know who will win.

The modern Pre-Raphaelite

John William Waterhouse painted this canvas in 1891, at the height of his career. Fascinated by enchantresses and tragic heroines, he returned to Circe several times. The round mirror, a motif dear to the Pre-Raphaelites, lets him show the whole drama in a single image: what Circe sees, and what she does not. The painting was bought in 1892 by the collector Charles Edward Lees, and his daughter Marjory gave it to Gallery Oldham, near Manchester, in 1952, where it still hangs today.

Why it works so well on a wall

Soft grey-blues, burnished gold and deep shadows: this commanding, vertical composition makes a striking statement piece in a living room, a bedroom, a library or a hallway. It is a must for lovers of Greek mythology, Pre-Raphaelite art and dark academia, and a perfect gift for readers of Homer, or of Madeline Miller's novel Circe.

• Artist: John William Waterhouse (1849–1917)
• Title: Circe Offering the Cup to Ulysses
• Date: 1891, signed and dated lower left
• Medium: Oil on canvas
• Original size: 148 × 92 cm
• Collection: Gallery Oldham, England
• Literary source: Homer, Odyssey, Book X

Discover more legendary heroes and gods in our Mythology prints.