ST. EULALIA’S CRUCIFIXION 1893 John William Waterhouse PRINT

Original 1893 8 1/4 inch x 5 inch Engraving titled ST. EULALIA’S CRUCIFIXION.

Saint Eulalia is an oil painting on canvas in the Pre-Raphaelite style depicting the aftermath of the death of Eulalia of Mérida. A very daring composition, this is one of Waterhouse's most unusual, and consequently most striking, oil paintings. The corpse is dramatically foreshortened, and the snow contrasts with Eulalia’s naked flesh – the 12-year-old girl seems singularly out of place for a Waterhouse picture. His choice of configuration – situating the corpse across the front and leaving so much of the central canvas unoccupied – was risky but it worked: by placing all the background figures in the distance, he concentrated the viewer's gaze on the naked body. The nudity was also groundbreaking for Waterhouse – and something that could have laid him open to criticism – but his sensitive handling of the subject, the youth of the saint, and the historical context of the painting allowed him to escape the critics' pen. The eye is also led to the murdered girl by the angle of the Roman guard's spear, pointing to the ropes that had bound her to the stake.

Painted by John William Waterhouse (1849 - 1917). An English painter known for working first in the Academic style and for then embracing the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood's style and subject matter. His artworks were known for their depictions of women from both ancient Greek mythology and Arthurian legend.

Published in the Art Journal 1893

Page size 12 1/2 inch x 9 1/4 inch

The print is in very good condition. Printed text surrounding the image and on the reverse.