John William Waterhouse’s painting Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus presents a mythological tale from Greek legend. The artwork depicts the moment the sorceress Circe offers a potion to Odysseus. Circe, a goddess endowed with the power to transform mortals into animals with her enchanted drinks, is symbolized here by the lion heads adorning either side of her throne.
According to the myth, she intends to enchant Odysseus as she did with his companions. However, with the help of Hermes, Odysseus learns how to outwit her. Hermes advises him to drop a magical herb called “moly” — a divine plant gifted by the gods — into the cup, thereby neutralizing her spell. It is said that Odysseus ultimately defeats Circe, transforms her into a pig, and restores his men to their human forms.
Inspired by the hue of Circe’s potion, the throne section of the printed artwork was painted using oil paint. The lion heads decorating the throne and the pedestal beneath, which features Hermes' head as in the original composition, were sculpted in brass and transformed into wall-mounted art pieces that can be framed together with Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus.
