Circe (Woman With Wild Cats) (by John Collier) Schort

This design features a painting by the British Pre-Raphaelite artist John Collier (1850–1934). It depicts Circe, the female enchantress from Homer’s Odyssey. In ancient Greek mythology, she is the daughter of the sun-god Helios and the ocean-nymph Perse, and her divine lineage gives her both beauty and formidable magical skill. Her power is rooted in potions, spells and transformative enchantments, through which she can alter the physical and mental states of those who cross her path. Odysseus first learns of her through Hermes, who warns him that she is capable of turning men into animals. This warning proves immediately relevant: when Odysseus’s crew encounters her, she welcomes them into her home, offers them food and drink laced with her magic, and then transforms them into pigs. Circe can be seen here reclining in a quiet moment of poised reflection. She occupies a central place in the composition, and her bodily figure is presented with an almost sculptural clarity. The enchantress is not shown as a distant, enthroned sorceress, but as a powerful, sensual figure immersed in a natural world entirely under her command. She is an image of female power and seductive beauty. The painting is composed from behind her, so the viewer looks upon Circe’s bare back as she reclines in a forest clearing. Her posture is relaxed yet unmistakably regal. She lies comfortably on a bed of soft grass, her body angled in a graceful curve. Her pale skin appears luminous against the dark, wild textures of the surrounding woodland. Circe’s ease comes from her absolute dominance over the untamed animals around her. She reclines partly against the powerful body of a tiger, its richly patterned fur forming a vivid contrast to the paleness of her skin. On her other side rests an ocelot, its smaller, sinuous form curled protectively near her. Their poses are calm and almost affectionate, suggesting that these fierce creatures are not merely subdued but devoted, transformed into companions by her magic. The juxtaposition of Circe’s relaxed, human vulnerability with the latent danger embodied by the great cats heightens her aura of supernatural command: these animals are not lounging beside her by chance, but by spellbound loyalty. In the forest beyond her, other beasts move through the shadowed greenery. A puma sits with quiet alertness, its sleek shape partially obscured by foliage. Wild boars can also be seen: they are solid, vigilant and strangely compliant. The presence of such diverse and normally incompatible creatures reinforces the idea that Circe’s magical power has rewritten the natural order. The animals gather around her as if drawn by an invisible force, forming a protective, enchanted court. The thick trees and tangled undergrowth surrounding them create a deep, almost primeval atmosphere, heightening the sense that Circe exists outside ordinary human realms. The overall mood of the painting is one of dangerous tranquility: a serene scene built on enchantment that is potent enough to tame predators and alter the wild itself.