''The Cave of the Storm Nymphs'' is a painting by British artist

Edward Poynter Sir Edward John Poynter, 1st Baronet (20 March 183626 July 1919) was an English painter, designer, and draughtsman, who served as President of the Royal Academy. Life Poynter was the son of architect Ambrose Poynter. He was born in Paris, F ...

, depicting three nude

sirens Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wisco ...

nymphs A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ...

from

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...

that lure sailors to their deaths. Poynter painted two versions, one in 1902 and the other in 1903, with minor differences. The former is housed in the Norfolk, Virginia Hermitage Museum, and the latter is in the private collection of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. One of the depicted sirens is playing a golden stringed, tortoise-shell lyre, while the other two sirens rejoice amid the foundering ship, expecting to add to the cave’s treasure. In 1901, Poynter drew a preparatory study for the painting, housed in the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (french: Musée des beaux-arts du Canada), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the ...

. The study was donated to the National Gallery of Canada by Dennis T. Lanigan Collection in 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cave of the Storm Nymphs Nude art Paintings depicting Greek myths 1902 paintings 1903 paintings Maritime paintings Nymphs Musical instruments in art