The Cave of the Storm Nymphs [SEP] creator
The Cave of the Storm Nymphs
The Cave of the Storm Nymphs is a painting by British artist Edward Poynter, depicting three nude sirens or nymphs from Greek mythology 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's 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
merges with a natural basin bordered with rushes and reeds. Two naiads appear and disappear, but return to bathe in the basin. Hunting horns are heard in the distance, and huntsmen with dogs pass by as the naiads hide in the reeds. Ascagne gallops across the stage on horseback. Didon and Énée have been separated from the rest of the hunting party. As a storm breaks, the two take shelter in the cave. At the climax of the storm, nymphs with dishevelled hair run to-and-fro over