Ulysses and the Sirens

John William Waterhouse

1891 · Oil on canvas · National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

Size3:2 ratio

Frame

$79Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

Ulysses and the Sirens

Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus

The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist

3 × $79 at 36 × 24 in, unframed = $237 → $213.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

Free shipping worldwide · arrives in 4–9 business days

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: John William Waterhouse (1849–1917)
Year: 1891
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 100.6 × 202 cm
Collection: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Movement: Pre-Raphaelite

Odysseus, lashed to the mast of his ship, strains against the ropes as the Sirens, birds with women's heads and vast wings, swoop around the deck, while his crew row with their ears stopped with wax and the ship threads a narrow strait between cliffs. Waterhouse painted the Homeric episode in 1891, taking the bird-bodied Sirens from Greek vases rather than the mermaids of later tradition, and the long horizontal canvas crowds the whole encounter into a single rush of wings, oars and water. It was bought by the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne the year it was painted, one of the first major purchases made for the gallery under the Felton Bequest's predecessors, and has been the best-known of his mythological pictures in Australia ever since.

This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

A ship full of rowers beset by bird-women under high cliffs, in deep blue, red sail and bronze, a very wide painting for a study, hallway or living room at 36×24 in black. Navy, teal or stone walls suit the sea; pair it with Echo and Narcissus.

Style, size & framing detail

Style: Pre-Raphaelite painting
Era: 19th century (1891)
Orientation: Landscape
Mood: grand
Rooms: living room, hallway or entryway, study or library, dining room
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. We'd hang this one at 36×24. Prints at 18×12, 24×16, 36×24 in — 18×12 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 24×16 above a console or sideboard; 36×24 as the statement piece above a sofa or headboard.

Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — natural wood flatters the lighter palette; black sharpens it.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Restored in-house from the original painting — cleaned and colour-trued at museum resolution • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 18×12, 24×16, 36×24 in; every size also available framed • Framed option: wood frame in black or natural wood, 12 mm wide and 22 mm deep, with a plexiglass front and no mat; the print is mounted inside and the frame's outside measures the listed size • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Printed after you order at the facility nearest you, then shipped. Standard delivery is free and takes 4–9 business days from order to door in the US, UK and EU (up to 10 elsewhere); Express takes 4–6 business days. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The image fills the print at the painting's own proportions; nothing is trimmed to fit a frame.

Is Ulysses and the Sirens in the public domain?

Yes. John William Waterhouse (1849–1917) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by National Gallery of Victoria.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 18×12, 24×16 and 36×24 inches; every size is also offered framed in black or natural wood, with plexiglass and no mat. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Ulysses and the Sirens painted, and in what medium?

Ulysses and the Sirens dates from 1891 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 100.6 × 202 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

Across a three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 36×24 is the size that reads as one statement piece; 24×16 suits a narrower wall or a pair. For Ulysses and the Sirens we'd choose 36×24. It is a landscape print, wider than it is tall, at the painting's own proportions.

About this design

Ulysses and the Sirens (John William Waterhouse) — Ulysses and the Sirens · John William Waterhouse · 1891. This is a fine-art reproduction of a public-domain masterwork, shown whole and uncropped on a gallery ground, printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Every size is offered unframed or framed in black or natural wood. Part of the Madten Fine Art Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in 4–9 business days.

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