Allegory

William Etty prints bring the warm colour and glowing flesh tones of English Romantic painting into your home. Etty was the first significant British painter of the nude and of still life, famous for history paintings drawn from myth and literature. Our collection of fine art prints covers his mythological and literary scenes, his many academic figure studies, portraits and studies for his large paintings.

About William Etty

William Etty was born in York on 10 March 1787. He left school at 12 to become an apprentice printer in Hull, and after seven years moved to London, where in 1807 he joined the Royal Academy Schools. He studied under Sir Thomas Lawrence and trained by copying other artists' work. His skill with realistic flesh tones won respect, but his first years brought little success.

His Cleopatra's Arrival in Cilicia (1821) was a great success, and he went on to paint many history scenes with nude figures. This earned him a reputation for indecency, but he was also commercially successful and critically admired, and in 1828 was elected a Royal Academician. Unusually, he continued to attend life classes all his life. In the 1830s he took up portraits and became the first English painter of significant still lifes.

Etty was very shy, never married and lived from 1824 with his niece Betsy. He kept close ties to York, helping found the city's first art school and campaigning to save its city walls. Prolific through the 1840s, he retired to York in 1848 in failing health and died there on 13 November 1849, soon after a major retrospective.

Style and Subjects

Etty's paintings are warm, rich and painterly. Myths, history and literature give him the chance to paint groups of figures in movement, in glowing colour against dark, dramatic backgrounds.

His many life studies, made in the Academy's life classes, are among his most admired works today, valued for their direct, sensitive handling of light on skin.

Famous Works

• The Triumph of Cleopatra (1821), Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight. His breakthrough, crowded with figures, which made his name.
• The Combat: Woman Pleading for the Vanquished (1825), National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh. A dramatic scene of mercy in battle.
• The Dawn of Love (1828), Russell-Cotes Art Gallery, Bournemouth. Venus wakes Cupid, in glowing colour.
• The World Before the Flood (1828), Southampton City Art Gallery. A dance of pleasure-seekers unaware of the coming disaster.
• Candaules, King of Lydia (1830), Tate, London. An ancient tale of a king and his queen, one of his most talked-about pictures.
• Youth on the Prow, and Pleasure at the Helm (1830), Tate, London. A golden boat sailing toward a storm, an allegory of pleasure.
• The Sirens and Ulysses (1837), Manchester Art Gallery. Homer's sirens luring sailors to their doom.
• Musidora: The Bather "At the Doubtful Breeze Alarmed". A bather startled by a breeze, one of his best-known images.

Decorating with Etty Prints

Etty's warm, rich colours suit traditional rooms with dark wood and deep reds or greens: a library, study or formal sitting room. His mythological scenes, like Pandora Crowned by the Seasons, make a grand focal point.

His figure studies are a natural choice for a studio, art lover's study or a bedroom, where their soft light and quiet poses feel intimate. They are nudes, so choose a private space if you prefer.

FAQ

Who was William Etty?

William Etty (1787–1849) was an English painter from York, a Royal Academician and the first significant British painter of nudes and of still life.

Why was Etty's work controversial?

Nearly all his Royal Academy exhibits in the 1820s included nude figures, which led some critics to call his work indecent, even as it sold well and won praise.

Who taught William Etty?

He studied at the Royal Academy Schools from 1807 and under the portrait painter Sir Thomas Lawrence.

Where can I see William Etty's paintings?

York Art Gallery has a large collection. Others are in Tate, the National Gallery, the Lady Lever Art Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery and the National Galleries of Scotland.

Related Artists

• Sir Thomas Lawrence: his teacher in London
• Peter Paul Rubens: Flemish master famed for painting flesh and colour
• Titian: Venetian master of colour and the nude