Joseph Edward Southall, R.W.S. (1861-1944)
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VA… Read more
Joseph Edward Southall, R.W.S. (1861-1944)

Study for a figure of Arethusa

Details
Joseph Edward Southall, R.W.S. (1861-1944)
Study for a figure of Arethusa
dated '1895' (lower right, overmounted) and further inscribed with colour notes (in the left margin, overmounted)
pencil and watercolour heightened with touches of white
8 x 3¼ in. (20.3 x 8.3 cm.)
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

Arethusa was a Nereid, a water-nymph. She was beloved by the river god Alpheus, after she had bathed in his waters, but she scorned his advances, desiring instead to remain chaste and continue to follow the goddess Artemis. Alpheus gave chase and eventually Arethusa begged Artemis to transform her so that she could escape from him. The goddess consented and transformed her into a stream, which flowed down into the earth and reemerged as a fountain on the island of Ortygia in Sicily. Her story was told by a number of ancient authors, most notably Ovid in his Metamorphoses, 5.710.

More from British Art on Paper

View All
View All