John William Waterhouse | The Magic Circle, c.1886

     

With his inclination toward mythic heroines or beauties gazing into crystal balls, it is not surprising that Pre-Raphaelite artist John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) painted his 1886 The Magic Circle. In Waterhouse’s work, a gypsy-like young woman stands before a cauldron in what seems to be an ancient or eternal land. She casts a circle to draw power to her magical workings while ravens gather around, and she is barefoot, signifying her connection to the earth just as the cauldron connects her with the fire element.

John William Waterhouse | The Magic Circle, c.1886

     

With his inclination toward mythic heroines or beauties gazing into crystal balls, it is not surprising that Pre-Raphaelite artist John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) painted his 1886 The Magic Circle. In Waterhouse’s work, a gypsy-like young woman stands before a cauldron in what seems to be an ancient or eternal land. She casts a circle to draw power to her magical workings while ravens gather around, and she is barefoot, signifying her connection to the earth just as the cauldron connects her with the fire element.