Knowledge

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, Said the Lady of Shalott by John William Waterhouse, 1915
Waterhouse's I Am Half-Sick of Shadows: The Lady Who Has Had Enough
Waterhouse's third Lady of Shalott, painted in 1915, shows her at the loom just before she looks out. The details and the mirror, explained. Read more...
St. Joan by John William Waterhouse
Waterhouse's St. Joan: The Painting Nobody Can Quite Identify
A Waterhouse painting titled St. Joan with an arrow and reeds, no armour, and no clear date. What we know and what we don't. Read more...
A Roman Offering by John William Waterhouse, c.1890
Waterhouse's A Roman Offering: A Very Tall, Very Small Painting
Waterhouse's A Roman Offering is about 50 by 20 cm and a variant of The Shrine. A girl, a niche and a jug of blue flowers. Read more...
Thisbe by John William Waterhouse, 1909
Waterhouse's Thisbe: The Crack in the Wall
Waterhouse painted the beginning of Pyramus and Thisbe, not the tragic end. The story behind Thisbe (1909). Read more...
The Spinner (La Fileuse) by John William Waterhouse, 1874
Waterhouse's The Spinner: A Tiny Early Painting
Waterhouse painted La Fileuse (The Spinner) at 24 in a canvas barely bigger than a sheet of paper. The story behind it. Read more...
The Soul of the Rose by John William Waterhouse, 1908
Waterhouse's The Soul of the Rose: What the Painting Is Smelling
What does the title The Soul of the Rose mean? The poems behind Waterhouse's 1908 painting. Read more...
The Favourites of the Emperor Honorius by John William Waterhouse, 1883
Waterhouse's Favourites of the Emperor Honorius: The Chicken Named Rome
Was there really a chicken named Rome? The story behind Waterhouse's 1883 painting The Favourites of the Emperor Honorius. Read more...
Miss Betty Pollock by John William Waterhouse, 1911
Waterhouse's Miss Betty Pollock: A Real Girl by the Lily Pond
Who was Miss Betty Pollock? A look at Waterhouse's 1911 portrait of a fourteen-year-old girl. Read more...
It's Sweet Doing Nothing by John William Waterhouse, 1879
Waterhouse's It's Sweet Doing Nothing: The Painting With Two Twins
What does 'dolce far niente' mean, and why did Waterhouse paint the title twice? The story of It's Sweet Doing Nothing (1879). Read more...
Miranda by John William Waterhouse
Waterhouse's Miranda: Two Paintings, Two Storms
Waterhouse painted Shakespeare's Miranda in 1875 and again in 1916. How the calm sea became a shipwreck. Read more...
Lamia and the Soldier by John William Waterhouse, 1905
Waterhouse's Lamia and the Soldier: The Bride Who Was a Serpent
Who was Lamia and why is a serpent hidden in this painting? The story behind Waterhouse's Lamia and the Soldier (1905). Read more...
Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May by John William Waterhouse, 1908
Waterhouse's Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May: The Lost Twin Painting
Waterhouse painted Herrick's carpe diem poem twice. The story of the 1908 painting and the twin that went missing for a century. Read more...
Fair Rosamund by John William Waterhouse, 1917
Waterhouse's Fair Rosamund: The Queen Behind the Curtain
Who was Fair Rosamund and who is hiding behind the curtain? The story behind Waterhouse's 1917 painting. Read more...
A Mermaid by John William Waterhouse, 1900
Waterhouse's A Mermaid: The Diploma Painting With a Wary Look
Why did Waterhouse paint a mermaid who looks worried instead of seductive? The story behind A Mermaid (1900). Read more...
Florentine Poet by Alexandre Cabanel, 1861, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Cabanel's Florentine Poet: Who Is Actually Listening?
A poet recites in a garden and nobody is paying attention. A closer look at Alexandre Cabanel's Florentine Poet (1861). Read more...
Portrait of a Young Man by Bronzino, 1530s, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Bronzino's Portrait of a Young Man: The Mask Hidden in the Folds
Who is Bronzino's young man with the book, and what is the hidden mask in his clothing? A closer look at a 1530s Florentine portrait. Read more...
Ulysses and the Sirens by John William Waterhouse, 1891
Ulysses and the Sirens: Waterhouse's Bird-Women, Not Mermaids
Why did John William Waterhouse paint the Sirens as bird-women instead of mermaids? The story behind Ulysses and the Sirens (1891). Read more...
Libra, from Urania's Mirror (Sidney Hall, 1824)
Libra: The Scales That Used to Be a Scorpion's Claws
Libra is the only sign of the zodiac that is not a living creature. It is a pair of scales, and its history is a tug of war between two... Read more...
Virgo, from Urania's Mirror (Sidney Hall, 1824)
Virgo: The Maiden, the Wheat and a Star That Revealed Precession
Virgo is the second-largest constellation in the sky, after Hydra, and the only major zodiac sign that is a woman. She lies across the sky holding an ear of wheat,... Read more...
Leo Major and Leo Minor, from Urania's Mirror (Sidney Hall, 1824)
Leo: The Lion That Heracles Could Not Cut
Even people who have never found a constellation can usually pick out Leo. A backward question mark of stars, the Sickle, forms the lion's head and mane, and a triangle... Read more...
Cancer, from Urania's Mirror (Sidney Hall, 1824)
Cancer: The Crab Hera Sent Against Heracles
Cancer is the dimmest of the twelve zodiac constellations, and the legend explains why. The crab only has a bit part in the story. It is a tiny creature that... Read more...
Gemini, from Urania's Mirror (Sidney Hall, 1824)
Gemini: Castor and Pollux, the Twins Who Shared Immortality
Gemini means "twins" in Latin, and the two brightest stars of the constellation are named after the mythical brothers Castor and Pollux. They are among the most loyal siblings in... Read more...
Taurus, from Urania's Mirror (Sidney Hall, 1824)
Taurus: The Bull, the Pleiades and a Supernova
Few patches of sky repay a look as well as Taurus. It holds two of the most famous star clusters in the night sky, the shining Pleiades and the V-shaped... Read more...
Aries and Musca Borealis, from Urania's Mirror (Sidney Hall, 1824)
Aries: The Ram That Carried the Golden Fleece
Aries is a small, faint patch of sky that carries a huge reputation. It is the first sign of the zodiac, and the reason is a matter of timing: about... Read more...
Pisces, from Urania's Mirror (Sidney Hall, 1824)
Pisces: Two Fish Tied Together by a Cord
Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac, and it is a quiet one, a faint V of stars with a ring at one end. It shows two fish, joined... Read more...
Aquarius, Piscis Australis and Ballon Aerostatique, from Urania's Mirror (Sidney Hall, 1824)
Aquarius: The Water-Bearer and a Balloon in the Stars
Aquarius pours water from a jar that never empties, and the stream runs down toward the Southern Fish. The picture is among the oldest in the sky. The Babylonians pictured... Read more...
Capricornus, from Urania's Mirror (Sidney Hall, 1824)
Capricorn: The Sea-Goat Older Than Greece
The strangest creature in the zodiac is the sea-goat, with the front half of a goat and the tail of a fish. It looks like an invention of Greek myth,... Read more...
Sagittarius and Corona Australis, from Urania's Mirror (Sidney Hall, 1824)
Sagittarius: The Archer Who Aims at the Heart of the Galaxy
On summer evenings, if you look south from a dark place, you can see a cloud of stars that looks like steam rising from a teapot. That asterism, the Teapot,... Read more...
Scorpio, from Urania's Mirror (Sidney Hall, 1824)
Scorpio: The Scorpion That Chases Orion Across the Sky
Scorpius is one of the few constellations that really looks like its name: a curving line of stars with a red heart in the middle and a stinger at the... Read more...
Pythagoras by J. Augustus Knapp, 1926, from The Secret Teachings of All Ages
Pythagoras: The Philosopher Behind Sacred Geometry and the Mystery Schools
Who was Pythagoras, what did the Pythagorean brotherhood believe, and why does his theorem appear in Freemasonry? A look at J. Augustus Knapp's 1926 painting. Read more...
Six paintings by J. Augustus Knapp from The Secret Teachings of All Ages: Pythagoras, Hermes, the Hand of the Mysteries, Yggdrasil, the Ancient of Ancients and the Rose Croix pelican
J. Augustus Knapp's Secret Teachings Paintings: The Esoteric Art Behind Manly P. Hall's Famous Book
A guide to the full-color paintings J. Augustus Knapp made for Manly P. Hall's 1928 The Secret Teachings of All Ages, with links to the stories behind each one. Read more...
The Supreme Symbol by J. Augustus Knapp, from The Secret Teachings of All Ages
The Double-Headed Eagle of the 33rd Degree: Scottish Rite Freemasonry's Supreme Symbol
What does the double-headed eagle mean in Freemasonry? The Scottish Rite 33rd degree, the Latin mottoes, and J. Augustus Knapp's painting of the Supreme Symbol. Read more...
The Grand Man of the Zohar by J. Augustus Knapp, from The Secret Teachings of All Ages
Adam Kadmon: The Grand Man of the Zohar and the Cosmic Human of Kabbalah
What is Adam Kadmon? The primordial human of Kabbalah, microcosm and macrocosm, and J. Augustus Knapp's painting of the Grand Man of the Zohar. Read more...
The Ancient of Ancients by J. Augustus Knapp, from The Secret Teachings of All Ages
The Ancient of Ancients: Kabbalah's Hidden God, the Zohar and the Tree of Life
Who is the Ancient of Ancients in Kabbalah? The Zohar, the Greater Holy Assembly, and J. Augustus Knapp's painting of the Aged of the Aged. Read more...
Yggdrasil by J. Augustus Knapp, from The Secret Teachings of All Ages
Yggdrasil: The Norse World Tree, Its Nine Worlds and Its Hidden Meaning
What is Yggdrasil in Norse mythology? The world tree, its three roots, the eagle, the serpent Nidhogg and the squirrel Ratatoskr, in J. Augustus Knapp's painting. Read more...
The Jewel of the Rose Croix by J. Augustus Knapp, from The Secret Teachings of All Ages
The Pelican and the Rose Cross: Rosicrucian and Masonic Symbolism of the Rose Croix Jewel
What does the pelican on the Rose Croix jewel mean? Rosicrucian and Masonic symbolism, the letters INRI, and J. Augustus Knapp's painting. Read more...
The Atlantean Temple by J. Augustus Knapp, from The Secret Teachings of All Ages
Atlantis and the Atlantean Mystery Temple: Plato's Lost Island in Esoteric Tradition
Where does the legend of Atlantis come from, and why did esoteric writers claim it as the home of a lost mystery school? The story behind J. Augustus Knapp's painting. Read more...
The Hand of the Mysteries by J. Augustus Knapp, from The Secret Teachings of All Ages
The Hand of the Mysteries: An Alchemical Symbol Explained
What is the Hand of the Mysteries? An alchemical image of a hand with a fish, sun, star and key, redrawn from an 18th-century watercolor. Read more...
Abraxas by J. Augustus Knapp, from The Secret Teachings of All Ages
Abraxas: The Gnostic God, the Rooster-Headed Figure and the Secret Number 365
What does Abraxas mean? The Gnostic deity, the rooster-headed amulets, the number 365, and Jung and Hesse. The story behind J. Augustus Knapp's painting. Read more...
The Saitic Isis by J. Augustus Knapp, from The Secret Teachings of All Ages
The Veiled Isis: 'I Am All That Has Been' and the Mystery of the Veil of Isis
Where does the Veil of Isis come from? The ancient inscription, the mystery cult of Isis, and the 1926 painting of the Saitic Isis. Read more...
Hermes Trismegistus by J. Augustus Knapp, from The Secret Teachings of All Ages
Hermes Trismegistus: Who Was the Thrice-Great Hermes? Hermeticism and the Emerald Tablet
What is Hermeticism? Who was Hermes Trismegistus, and where does 'as above, so below' come from? The story behind J. Augustus Knapp's painting. Read more...
Katsushika Hokusai, Groups of Mountain Climbers, from Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, about 1830-32
Groups of Mountain Climbers: Hokusai Takes You Up Fuji
Most of the prints in Katsushika Hokusai's famous series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji show the mountain from far away: from a boat, a village, a bridge or a bay.... Read more...
Utagawa Hiroshige, The Ferry Crossing at Sakasai, 1857
Sakasai Ferry: Hiroshige's Egrets
Utagawa Hiroshige made this woodblock print in 1857 for his last great series, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. He died the following year. The place is Sakasai, a ferry... Read more...
Terracotta neck-amphora attributed to the New York Nessos Painter, Athens, 7th century BCE
The Nessos Painter's Amphora: A Grave Marker Full of Monsters
This enormous jar stands about 108 centimeters tall, close to three and a half feet. It was made in Athens in the second quarter of the 7th century BCE, in... Read more...
Terracotta amphora signed by Andokides, Athens, about 530 BCE
The Andokides Amphora: Herakles Steals the Tripod
Around 530 BCE, in a workshop in Athens, a potter named Andokides and the painter who worked with him began leaving their figures in the natural orange of the clay... Read more...
Painted wooden coffin of Khnumnakht, Middle Kingdom Egypt, about 1850-1750 BCE
The Coffin of Khnumnakht: Eyes That Look East
This painted wooden coffin was made in Middle Kingdom Egypt, around 1850-1750 BCE, for a man named Khnumnakht. The Metropolitan Museum of Art records that it comes from Meir in... Read more...
Bronze figure of Anubis, Egypt, Late to Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 BCE
Anubis: The Jackal Who Guarded the Cemetery
Anubis is the jackal-headed god of ancient Egyptian burial. He presided over embalming, watched over cemeteries and guided the dead through the underworld. The jackal head is usually explained by... Read more...
Kali, chromolithograph printed at the Calcutta Art Studio, c. 1885-95
Kali: The Goddess Who Sold Cigarettes
This sheet is an advertisement. The panel at the bottom center carries the product name, Kali Cigarette, and the Bengali text in the margins and in the panels along the... Read more...
Uncut sheet of Tarocchi cards, Italy, about 1500
The Tarocchi Sheet: Tarot Before Fortune-Telling
This is a surviving part of a sheet of playing cards that was never cut apart. The Metropolitan Museum of Art dates it to around 1500 and describes it as... Read more...
Takai Kōzan, Demons and Monsters, hanging scroll, ink on paper
Demons and Monsters: The Sake Brewer Who Kept Seeing Ghosts
Some twenty demons and ghosts wander across this hanging scroll, drawn in loose black ink lines with a few washes. Some have round, staring eyes, some have beaks, one hunches... Read more...