John William Waterhouse, R.A., R.I.

Collection of Claudio Bruni Sakraischik, Rome
Acquired from the above, in 1991

In this early painting J. W. Waterhouse proclaims himself an heir to the pompeiste and neo-grec artists who comprised a school in mid-nineteenth-century Paris, including Lawrence Alma-Tadema and, before him, Jean-Léon Gérôme.  As Peter Trippi observed, "La Fileuse points to Alma-Tadema most explicitly through its Pompeian setting, suggested by the pilasters with red bases" (Trippi, p. 23). In fact, when Waterhouse first exhibited his painting in the 1874 spring Society of British Artists exhibition, the French title of La Fileuse (The Spinning Girl) was almost certainly selected to appeal to admirers of Parisian pompeiste painting. This genre of picture proved highly successful for Waterhouse. 

Unencumbered by narrative context, this painting becomes a pure celebration of the feminine ideal.  The drapery, derived from careful study of antique sculpture, does more to emphasize the subject's figure than to conceal it, while the girl's demurely downcast eyes allow the viewer to gaze in seemingly undetected appreciation.  Painted with surety and soundness of technique, Waterhouse found an eager market for these early works.