Lamia
John William Waterhouse, 1905Fine art reproduction on 200gsm matte paper. A5 to A1, plus 12x16, 18x24 and 24x36 inches.A typewriter, a potted plant, a yellow telephone. Picture a knight and his enchantress above your desk, a Keats love story while you write your own.
Lamia by John William Waterhouse shows a knight in armour and a woman kneeling before him in the woods, gazing up into his face. She looks human. She is not. In Keats's poem, Lamia is a serpent who takes the form of a woman to win a man's love. Look closely at the ground around her. She has shed her snakeskin, and it still lies there, shimmering. The knight never sees it. Soft greens, silver armour and the shimmer of the snakeskin.
Waterhouse painted Lamia in 1905, from Keats's poem of 1820. Keats drew the story from ancient Greek legend, and Waterhouse returned to it more than once. He loved enchantresses and the men who fall for them, from La Belle Dame sans Merci to The Magic Circle. Keats wrote Lamia in 1819, the same extraordinary year as his great odes. In the poem, the philosopher Apollonius sees through her at the wedding feast, and she vanishes. This 1905 version belongs to a private collection.
The look
Soft greens, silver armour and the shimmer of the snakeskin. Romantic, tender and quietly dangerous. Pre Raphaelite wall art suited to a dark academia reading room or study.
Sizes
| Size | Centimetres | Inches |
|---|---|---|
| A5 | 14.8 x 21 cm | 5.8 x 8.3 in |
| A4 | 21 x 29.7 cm | 8.3 x 11.7 in |
| A3 | 29.7 x 42 cm | 11.7 x 16.5 in |
| A2 | 42 x 59.4 cm | 16.5 x 23.4 in |
| A1 | 59.4 x 84.1 cm | 23.4 x 33.1 in |
| 12 x 16 in | 30.5 x 40.6 cm | 12 x 16 in |
| 18 x 24 in | 45.7 x 61 cm | 18 x 24 in |
| 24 x 36 in | 61 x 91.4 cm | 24 x 36 in |
Custom sizes on request. Inch sizes have a slightly different shape from A sizes, so the edges trim a little. Size guide
Frames and delivery
Choose a black, white or oak frame, or order the print unframed. It is printed locally in the UK, Europe, the US, Canada or Australia, at the location closest to you. Free tracked shipping, no customs fees. Printing and delivery
Gifting
A romantic gift for an anniversary, a birthday or a new home. Keats in paint.
More like this
More Keats in our Pre Raphaelite Art collection: La Belle Dame sans Merci by Frank Dicksee. More Waterhouse: The Lady of Shalott, The Magic Circle and The Crystal Ball.
