Of all William Etty's paintings, The Sirens And Ulysses is the most famous; it hangs in the Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester. Close behind come Candaules, King of Lydia, Shews his Wife by Stealth to Gyges, One of his Ministers, as She Goes to Bed (1830) and A Greek Slave (1812). Among the 523 works by William Etty in our catalogue, these 100 are the most celebrated, each shown with its date, its museum and its story.
Ranked by our popularity score, which combines the searches, visits and orders for each work. Updated October 2026. Each painting on this page can be ordered as an oil reproduction painted by hand on linen canvas, or as a fine art print, made to the size you choose.
In the grand tradition of British Romanticism, William Etty’s The Sirens and Ulysses stands as a breathtaking testament to the power of epic storytelling and the raw intensity of human desire. This large-scale oil masterpiece transports the viewer directly into the heart of Homer’s Odyssey, capturing that perilous moment when the hero, Ulysses, must endure the intoxicating, lethal melodies of the Sirens. Etty does not merely illustrate a myth; he…
In the evocative masterpiece Candaules, King of Lydia, Shews his Wife by Stealth to Gyges, One of his Ministers, as She Goes to Bed, William Etty invites the viewer into a moment of profound moral transgression and voyeuristic tension. Painted around 1830, this work captures a pivotal scene from Greek legend, where the hubris of King Candaules leads to a breach of intimacy that would forever alter the course of…
William Etty's ‘A Greek Slave’ (1812) is not merely a depiction of a female figure; it’s a profound meditation on resilience, vulnerability, and the enduring power of the human spirit. This arresting oil painting, measuring 43 x 43 cm, immediately commands attention with its dramatic lighting and intensely focused composition. Etty, a pivotal figure in British art who pioneered the depiction of nudes, eschews idealized beauty for a raw, almost…
William Etty’s “Venus and Cupid” is not merely a depiction of classical beauty; it’s a carefully constructed narrative woven with the threads of mythology, human emotion, and the burgeoning spirit of Romanticism. Executed in rich oil paint on canvas, this artwork transports the viewer to a world where divine love and earthly desire intertwine, creating an experience that transcends simple representation.
In this 1835 oil on millboard, the artist William Etty brings the mythological realm into immediate view. The Three Graces emerge from the shadows, their forms interlacing in a moment of quiet, divine presence. These three goddesses from Greek mythology—Aglaea, known as "Shining"; Euphrosyne, representing "Joy"; and Thalia, called "Blooming"—occupy the space with a sense of natural grace. They exist here not as distant statues, but as living entities caught…
The painting depicts a male nude figure engaged in the act of sawing. Positioned on the right side of the canvas, the figure is shown with his back turned to the viewer, a pose that reveals muscular definition and a sense of movement through a dynamic posture. His left arm is extended upwards, while his right arm is bent at the elbow, holding the saw. The background consists of a…
In the evocative masterpiece Nude Female Figure, painted in 1840, William Etty invites the viewer into a private, intimate moment that transcends mere observation to become an exploration of human vitality. The composition centers on the graceful silhouette of a woman, her back turned toward the observer, creating a sense of profound mystery and voyeuristic elegance. As she stands near a simple chair or bench, the light dances across the…
William Etty painted this Self-Portrait in 1823 during his first visit to Venice. The work captures the artist in a moment of quiet study, depicted reading an opened letter. This correspondence is addressed to Walter—Monsieur Etty—at 31 Lombard Street, London, suggesting a personal connection to his brother during his Venetian sojourn.
The oil painting titled John Thornton is a formal portrait executed by the artist William Etty. Created in 1830, the work depicts John Thornton, a prominent Welsh sculptor. The subject is presented in a bust-length composition, focusing on the head and upper torso of the individual. This portrait captures the likeness of Thornton through a direct and steady gaze directed toward the viewer.
A man stands caught in a moment of singular focus. His skin is not merely flesh but a canvas of deep red pigment, a visceral coating that clings…
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In this Self-Portrait, the artist William Etty turns the gaze inward. Painted about 1825, the work captures a moment of quiet introspection. Born in York, United Kingdom, in…
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The oil painting titled John Thornton by William Etty presents a formal encounter with a man of significant presence. Created in 1830, this work captures the likeness of…
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In the quiet intimacy of this 1841 study, we find ourselves invited into a moment of profound, silent introspection. The subject, a man with flowing locks and a…
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This striking portrait captures S. A. Bayntum, MP for York, in the year 1830, offering an intimate glimpse into the sartorial elegance and social gravity of early Victorian…
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In the quiet, evocative depths of William Etty’s Study of Female Nude, we encounter a moment frozen in time, where the boundaries between the physical form and the…
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To gaze upon William Etty’s "Man with an Arrow" is to encounter a moment suspended between repose and potential action. The composition immediately draws the viewer into the…
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In Study for "The Combat", William Etty captures a moment of raw, unbridled motion. The oil study pulses with a sudden, violent energy as muscular male figures collide…
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William Etty's “A Naiad,” a captivating copy of Peter Paul Rubens’s celebrated detail from ‘The Arrival of Marie de Medici at Marseilles,’ is more than just a beautiful…
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William Etty's "Sabrina and Her Nymphs," completed in 1841, is a captivating exploration of mythology, sensuality, and the raw power of Romantic emotion. This oil painting, measuring 60…
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To stand before a work like this Figure of a Seated Man is to be drawn into a moment suspended just beyond the reach of time. Painted in…
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This captivating portrait, titled Figure of a Seated Man, draws the viewer into an intimate space of profound thought. The subject, rendered with remarkable skill, is depicted seated,…
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In this evocative portrait, a man is captured in a moment of profound introspection. Set against a dark, somber background, the subject is depicted in a contemplative pose,…
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William Etty's “Seated Female Nude (verso)” offers a poignant glimpse into the artist’s process and his groundbreaking approach to depicting the human form. This preparatory sketch, rendered in…
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In the intimate realm of nineteenth-century portraiture, few works capture the profound stillness of the human spirit as effectively as William Etty’s Head of a Monk. Painted in…
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In the visceral masterpiece Prometheus, painted in 1820, William Etty invites us into a scene of profound mythological suffering and raw human vulnerability. The canvas captures the Titan…
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In the pantheon of nineteenth-century British art, few names evoke as much visceral emotion and painterly passion as William Etty. His masterpiece, Guardsman Higgins, dating from 1830, serves…
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A Portrait of Strength and Vulnerability: Exploring William Etty’s “A Greek Slave” William Etty's "A Greek Slave," completed in 1812, stands as a remarkable testament to the Romantic…
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The four subjects that return most often on these canvases, each with its best-loved example.
The 8 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by William Etty | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Anglesey Abbey |
17 | Academic Study Of A Male Nude, Seen From Behind, Academic Study Of A Male Nude As A Standard Bearer, A Bacchante and a Young Faun dancing in a Bacchic Setting | |
 Fairfax House |
York | 4 | S. A. Bayntum, MP for York (1830–1832), Figure of a Seated Man, Figure of a Seated Man |
 Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art |
Providence | 3 | Male Head, Back View of a Standing Male Nude in a Boat, Seated Female Nude |
 Йоркський художній музей |
York | 14 | Male Nude -, Venus And Cupid - |
 Merchant Adventurers’ Hall |
York | 2 | John Thornton, John Thornton |
 New Walk Museum - Art Gallery |
Leicester | 2 | The Bowman, Sabrina and Her Nymphs |
 Harvard Art Museums |
Cambridge | 2 | Self-Portrait, Study for "The Combat" |
 Courtauld Gallery |
London | 4 | Seated Female Nude (verso) |
William Etty's ‘A Greek Slave’ (1812) is not merely a depiction of a female figure; it’s a profound meditation on resilience, vulnerability, and the enduring power of the…
William Etty painted this Self-Portrait in 1823 during his first visit to Venice. The work captures the artist in a moment of quiet study, depicted reading an opened…
In the evocative masterpiece Candaules, King of Lydia, Shews his Wife by Stealth to Gyges, One of his Ministers, as She Goes to Bed, William Etty invites the…
In the evocative masterpiece Nude Female Figure, painted in 1840, William Etty invites the viewer into a private, intimate moment that transcends mere observation to become an exploration…
The Sirens And Ulysses, Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester. Candaules, King of Lydia, Shews his Wife by Stealth to Gyges, One of his Ministers, as She Goes to Bed (1830) and A Greek Slave (1812) follow.
The Sirens And Ulysses, Candaules, King of Lydia, Shews his Wife by Stealth to Gyges, One of his Ministers, as She Goes to Bed, A Greek Slave, Venus And Cupid, The Three Graces, Male Nude Sawing, Nude Female Figure, The Doves, Self-Portrait and John Thornton. Each canvas in the ranking above comes with its year and its museum.
523 works by William Etty are in our catalogue, dated 1812 to 1849.
Mostly in Anglesey Abbey, Fairfax House (York) and Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art (Providence); the list above names each museum and its canvases.
In 1830s, which gave 16 of the 100 works on this page, Candaules, King of Lydia, Shews his Wife by Stealth to Gyges, One of his Ministers, as She Goes to Bed among them.
The earliest canvas here is A Greek Slave (1812); the latest is The Wrestlers (1849).
Nude figure (18), Nudes (12) and Portrait (11), across the 100 works on this page.
Oil On Canvas, used in 13 of the 100 works on this page.
Romanticism, as the canvases on this page show.
The Anglesey Abbey holds 3 of the works on this page, among them Academic Study Of A Male Nude, Seen From Behind, Academic Study Of A Male Nude As A Standard Bearer and A Bacchante and a Young Faun dancing in a Bacchic Setting.
Yes. Every painting on this page can be ordered from its own page as an oil reproduction painted by hand, or as a fine art print, in the size you choose.
To understand the technical precision of William Etty, one must look past the controversy of his later subjects to his disciplined, mechanical beginnings. Born on March 10, 1787, in York, United Kingdom, he was the seventh child of Matthew and Esther Etty. His path toward fine art was not immediate or intuitive; instead, it was forged through the rigid structure of a trade. At age 11, on 8 October 1798, he was apprenticed as a printer in Hull. This seven-year apprenticeship provided a grounding in the practicalities of visual reproduction, a stark departure from the academic circles he would eventually inhabit.
The transition from the printing house to the studio was a decisive shift in his development. In 1807, William Etty joined the Royal Academy Schools, moving from the mechanical world of typography into the rigorous environment of formal art education. His training was not limited to the classroom; he spent one year as a private pupil under Thomas Lawrence. This period of intense study provided the anatomical foundation and technical control that would define his career. He did not rely on mere talent, but on the systematic acquisition of skill through direct mentorship and institutional discipline.
Etty’s technical approach was defined by a rigorous command of light and texture. He achieved a realistic rendering of flesh through a masterful technique of tonal modeling, achieved by layering thin glazes of pigment. This method allowed him to build depth and nuance in skin tones, a skill that made him the first significant British painter of nudes. His versatility extended to various media, including oil on millboard, oil on panel, drawing in chalk, charcoal, pen, and ink. He did not rely on a single method but adapted his tools to the specific demands of the subject, whether capturing the musculature of a male figure or the delicate surface of a still life.
His specialization in the nude was a departure from the prevailing British traditions of his time. He was the first English painter to focus so consistently on the human form, treating the body with anatomical precision rather than as a mere decorative element. This commitment to the physical reality of the body was matched by his engagement with still life. As the first English painter to seriously engage with the genre, he applied the same sensitivity to texture and materiality to objects as he did to human anatomy. His ability to manipulate light and shadow through glazing ensured that both his figures and his objects possessed a tangible, physical presence.
Etty’s breakthrough arrived in 1821 with Cleopatra's Arrival in Cilicia. The work ignited a dual reaction that would define his career: widespread acclaim for its technical execution and immediate scandal regarding its subject matter. By populating his canvases with nude figures, he stepped directly into a cultural minefield. His focus on the human form was not merely a stylistic choice but a provocation to the moral sensibilities of the era.
The friction between his talent and his reputation was constant. Critics frequently attacked his depictions of the nude for a perceived lack of idealization. Rather than adhering to the polished, detached standards of classical perfection, Etty pursued a realism that felt uncomfortably immediate. This commitment to anatomical truth often drew accusations of indecency, yet it was this very refusal to sanitize the body that secured his place in the history of British art. His ability to render flesh tones with such precision made his work impossible to ignore, even when it was being condemned.
Despite the persistent whispers of impropriety, his professional ascent remained steady. In 1828, he was elected a Royal Academician, a move that solidified his status within the established art world. He had successfully navigated the tension between being a provocateur and an institutional mainstay. He proved that an artist could maintain high-level professional standing while simultaneously challenging the visual boundaries of his time.
Etty’s reputation was forged through works that forced the public to confront the physical reality of the human body. His 1821 painting, Cleopatra's Arrival in Cilicia, acted as a catalyst for both acclaim and scandal. By populating the scene with nude women bathing and gossiping, he moved beyond mere historical illustration into a territory of intense, often uncomfortable, realism. This focus on the flesh became his primary mode of expression, often pushing the boundaries of what Victorian sensibilities would tolerate.
The artist’s ability to handle complex anatomical arrangements is evident in The Three Graces, painted around 1830–1835. In this work, the interlacing bodies of the three goddesses create a tight, sensual composition that emphasizes the materiality of skin. This was not a distant, idealized depiction; it was a direct, almost moist representation of the female form. Similarly, The Sirens and Ulysses, executed in 1837, demonstrates his command over dramatic composition and the muscularity of the human figure within a mythological framework.
Even in his later years, Etty continued to explore the tension between light and anatomy. The Wrestlers, painted around 1840, depicts a match between a black man and a white man. The figures are rendered with a heavy emphasis on sweat and the way light catches the curves and musculature of the straining bodies. This work highlights his technical ability to use light to define physical exertion and volume.
The historical weight of Etty's work did not immediately translate into long-term stability. Following his death in 1849, his paintings fell into relative obscurity. Shifting tastes and the rigid moral codes of the Victorian era pushed his focus on the human form to the margins of critical interest. For decades, his reputation remained sidelined, largely forgotten by the mainstream art establishment.
A significant shift occurred at the turn of the 21st century. His inclusion in Tate Britain’s Exposed: The Victorian Nude exhibition between 2001 and 2002 sparked a necessary renewed interest in his technical approach to the body. This momentum continued when the 2010 restoration of The Sirens and Ulysses revealed the actual brilliance of his technique, cementing a modern revival of his reputation. This was not a mere academic exercise; it was a reassessment of his actual impact on British art history.
The resurgence reached a peak with a major retrospective of his work held at the York Art Gallery in 2011–12. This period of reevaluation moved him from the periphery back into serious discussion. His ability to render realistic flesh tones and anatomical detail remains the primary reason his work demands attention today. He is no longer dismissed as a mere provocateur but is recognized for his specific, unflinching commitment to the human form.
Etty’s physical presence in modern collections remains significant, though his distribution is uneven. In London, the Courtauld Gallery maintains a strong hold on his output with four works in its collection. For those seeking his more intimate studies or specific character studies, Fairfax House in York preserves four of his paintings. These pieces offer a direct look at the technical precision he applied to the human form, away from the larger-scale historical compositions.
His reach extends beyond the United Kingdom into mainland Europe. The Louvre in Paris holds two of his works, ensuring his influence is felt within major international institutions. In the United Kingdom, the National Trust in Cambridge also maintains a presence with three works. To see his work in its most concentrated regional context, one must look to the York Art Gallery, which houses The Wrestlers, a piece painted around 1840.
