Woman in a blue gown with a staff beside a cauldron over a fire, dusky walled landscape, dark birds in the grass.

Study for The Magic Circle

A woman with dark hair, in a loose blue gown, stands beside a cauldron on a tripod, its fire glowing below and steam rising into a dusky sky. Dark birds sit in the grass beside a wall with towers, in this loose sketch-like oil study of muted greens, browns and blues.

Artist: John William Waterhouse
Date: 1886
Medium
Source: Wikimedia Commons / Wikidata
Size: 668 × 1024 px

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Public domain · John William Waterhouse died 1917 and the work dates by 1886; public domain in the US and life+70 countries.
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier B · as stated by the source: Public domain

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): John William Waterhouse, via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

19th century 1880s 1886 painting birds pre-raphaelite woman oil sketch magic cauldron blue gown waterhouse