Echo and Narcissus by John William Waterhouse, 1849-1917. 1903. Oil on canvas. H 109 x W 189 cm. Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. Accession no. WAG 2967, purchased in 1903. Image kindly made available for reproduction on Art UK under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial licence (CC BY-NC). The painting shows Narcissus peering at his reflection in the water, lost in admiration for his handsome appearance, while Echo yearns for some sign of his love for her. Alas, she pines in vain, until all that is left of her is her faint voice. Anthony Hobson points out that this has been a very popular painting right from the start, praised by the contemporary Art Journal, quickly acquired by the Walker Gallery, and continually reproduced ever since (85-89).
Related Material
- Solomon J. Solomon's Echo and Narcissus of 1895
- Richard Garbe's sculpture, Echo and Narcissus, c. 1903
Bibliography
Hobson, Anthony. The Art and Life of J. W. Waterhouse, R.A.. Oxford: Phaidon/Christie's, 1989.
Created 22 August 2021