Women, water, and magic were common motifs throughout the oeuvre of British artist John William Waterhouse (1849–1917). Two canvases of the same subject, “Miranda” (1875) and “Miranda—The Tempest” (1916), exemplify these themes.
The first is an important early picture and the other is a major work among his final paintings. Although both show the character Miranda from William Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest” (circa 1611) on a beach, they have very different atmospheres, reflecting the times and specific interests of Waterhouse when he painted them.
