Pandora

John William Waterhouse

Contemporary-Art.org
Keywords: Pandora

Work Overview

Pandora
John William Waterhouse
Date 1896
Medium oil on canvas
Dimensions Height: 152 cm (59.8 in). Width: 91 cm (35.8 in).
Current location Private collection


In Greek mythology, Pandora (Greek: Πανδώρα, derived from πᾶν, pān, i.e. "all" and δῶρον, dōron, i.e. "gift", thus "the all-endowed", "the all-gifted" or "the all-giving")[1] was the first human woman created by the gods, specifically by Hephaestus and Athena on the instructions of Zeus.[2][3] As Hesiod related it, each god helped create her by giving her unique gifts. Zeus ordered Hephaestus to mold her out of earth as part of the punishment of humanity for Prometheus' theft of the secret of fire, and all the gods joined in offering her "seductive gifts". Her other name—inscribed against her figure on a white-ground kylix in the British Museum[4]—is Anesidora, "she who sends up gifts"[5] (up implying "from below" within the earth).