A man reclines with a woman leaning over him — G F Watts, *Endymion*, 1872, oil on canvas
Watts Gallery Trust

George Frederic Watts painted two versions of this design showing Endymion, a handsome shepherd, and the moon goddess Diana. Diana loved Endymion and put him into an eternal enchanted sleep. Georgebased Endymion’s pose on the reclining nude sculpture of Dionysus from the Parthenon, an important ancient Greek temple. Diana’s dress also reflects George’s studies of the Parthenon Sculptures, especially the broken and cut drapery of the female figures. Diana and Endymion together make a perfect circle on the canvas. They are emphasised by a line of light around Diana and the shape of Endymion’s limbs at the bottom of the canvas. Mary recalled saying to George, ‘Oh, Signor, what a dream for him to have!’ George replied, ‘Yes, but it was only moonshine after all.’

The canvas for this painting was started in the 1860s but George did not work on it again until 1903. It was only exhibited in April 1904, a few months before he died.