Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 219 works by Edward Poynter in our catalogue
In short
To the gallery's eye, Edward Poynter's most famous painting is Water Babies (1900). Eliza Eastlake (née Bailey) (1864) and Apelles complete the trio every eye recognises. Of the 219 works by Edward Poynter in our catalog, the gallery presents the 100 most famous below, each original with its year, its museum and what makes it unique.
Water Babies is an oil painting by the British artist Edward Poynter, executed in 1900. The work functions as a blend of history painting and nude art, capturing a specific moment of classical repose. It depicts two women bathing in Ancient Rome, a subject matter that aligns with the artist's engagement with classical antiquity.
The gaze of Eliza Eastlake (née Bailey) meets the viewer through a quiet, steady presence in this 1864 oil portrait. Painted by Edward Poynter, the work captures the subject in a formal profile that holds her silhouette against a dark, muted background. She exists in a moment of stillness, her features rendered with a clarity that suggests a person caught in a private, dignified pause. The artist, Edward Poynter, focuses…
In this work, titled Apelles, we encounter a piece by the English painter Edward Poynter. Born in Paris, France, Poynter developed a significant presence in the Victorian art scene, eventually serving as the President of the Royal Academy. His career spanned much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as he lived from 1836 to 1919.
Study For The Ides Of March is a work by Edward Poynter. The artist, born in Paris, France, in 1836, was a significant figure in the Victorian art establishment. His career spanned much of the nineteenth century until his death in 1919.
In On the Temple Steps, Edward Poynter presents a scene of quietude. A young woman rests upon the stone steps of an ancient temple, her form the central focus of the work. She sits amidst a landscape where lush greenery meets the edge of still water. The subject matter draws from classical antiquity, presenting an idealized female figure in a state of repose. This tranquil setting offers a moment of…
In Orpheus And Eurydice, Edward Poynter captures a moment of profound mythological struggle. The scene unfolds around the tragic legend of Orpheus, a figure whose music possesses the power to move even the most unyielding hearts. Here, the artist presents the desperate attempt to rescue Eurydice from the shadows of the underworld. The tension of the myth hangs heavy in the air, as the boundary between life and death feels…
The scene unfolds in the shadow of catastrophe. In Faithful Unto Death, the British artist Edward Poynter captures a moment of profound stillness amidst a world in upheaval. This oil on canvas work, created in 1865, fixes our gaze upon a Roman Legionary caught in the terrifying surge of history. The air seems thick with the ash and heat of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, a disaster…
The figure of Erato, Muse of Poetry, emerges from the shadows in this 1870 oil painting by Edward Poynter. She exists in a quiet moment of contemplation, her presence felt through the soft glow that illuminates her form. This work, created by the English painter Edward Poynter, captures a sense of divine inspiration through the delicate rendering of a celestial being. The subject rests in a state of stillness, her…
The scene unfolds within the quiet intensity of the festival, an oil on canvas created by the hand of Edward Poynter. This work emerges from 1875, a moment when the artist's vision begins to take firm hold. Though his beginnings trace back to Paris, France, where he was born in 1836, the origins of this particular piece are rooted in England.
This work is titled Self Portrait and was executed by the artist Edward Poynter. Created about 1882, the painting presents a formal and intimate depiction of the artist himself. The subject is a middle-aged man, captured in a moment of quietude that emphasizes his personal presence.
Knuckle Bones1891
12
The Ionian Dance1895
13
Helena and Hermia1901 · Art Gallery of South Australia
14
Asterié1904 · Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
15
A Hot House Flower1909
16
Wonders of the Deep1917
17
diadumene
18
Reading
19
In a Garden1891
20
Water Carriers1862
21
Lynmouth1856
22
A day dream1863
23
Offering to Isis1866
24
Portrait Of Georgiana Burne-Jones1870
25
Portrait of Agnes Poynter1867
26
Portrait Of Louise A. Baldwin1868
27
Feeding The Scared Ibis In The Halls Of Karnac1871
28
Israel in Egypt1867 · Guildhall Art Gallery
29
Hardraw Force, Wensleydale1872
30
Fishing, the nymph of the stream
31
andromeda1872
32
a wooded landscape1873
33
Mrs. Langtry1877
34
A Wooded Landscape1873
35
the golden age1875
36
At the Window1884
37
Diadumene1883
38
Helen1881
39
Isola San Giulio, Lake Orta1880
40
A Roman Boat Race1889
41
An Evening at Home1888
42
The Violinist1891
43
On the temple steps1890
44
On The Temple Steps1890
45
Outward Bound1886
46
Music, Heavenly Maid1889
47
Horae Serenae (detail)1894 · Bristol Museum And Art Gallery
48
The Bells of Saint Mark's, Venice1903 · Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
49
the wooded landscape1900
50
The cave at Tintagel1903
51
Study Of A Standing Woman In Heavy Drapery
52
The siren AMK
53
Portrait Of Whistler
54
On the Terrace
55
a roman boat race
56
The Ides Of March
57
Portrait of Georgiana Burne Jones
58
Nude Study Of A Man
59
Study for the Ionian Dance
60
untitled (8046)
61
Two Figure Studies Of A Man
62
Study For 'water Babies'
63
Storm Nymphs Study
64
Nude Study Of A Seated Man
65
untitledNational Portrait Gallery
66
he Hon Violet Monckton with her budgerigars
67
Miriam
68
Joseph Presents His Father To Pharoah
69
Moses Strikes The Rock
70
Andromeda 1
71
Pharoah Honours Joseph
72
Study Of Two Heads
73
Eight Figure Studies On One Sheet Or Hands And A Head
74
Portrait of Louise A. Baldwin
75
Mercy. The Prodigal Son
76
Seated Nude Figure Of A Man
77
The Israelites In Egypt. Water Carriers
78
A Half-Forgetfulness In Mountain Wind
79
Studies Of Michelangelo And Phidias
80
Study For At Low Tide
81
Moses Keeping Jethro's Sheep
82
Study Of A Woman's Head
83
By The Waters Of Babylon
84
An Evening at Home
85
Study For One Of The Queen Of Sheba's Attendants
86
Portrait of Agnes Poynter
87
wild blossoms
88
The Vision Of Endymion
89
Study Of A Female Nude For 'the Queen Of Sheba's Visit To King Solomon'
90
Three Studies For The Grill Room Of The South Kensington Museum
91
water babies
92
Pheidias, Greek Sculptor
93
A Roman Boat Race
94
Adoration to Ra
95
Revenge
96
Psyche
97
Idle Fears
98
Portrait Of Lady Markham
99
Cressida
100
Joseph Before Pharoah
The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest example.
The 8 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Edward Poynter | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Yale Center for British Art |
New Haven | 1 | Eliza Eastlake (née Bailey) |
 Carnavalet Museum |
Paris | 1 | Study For The Ides Of March |
 Art Gallery of South Australia |
Adelaide | 1 | Helena and Hermia |
 Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa |
Wellington | 1 | Asterié |
 Guildhall Art Gallery |
London | 1 | Israel in Egypt |
 Bristol Museum And Art Gallery |
Bristol | 1 | Horae Serenae (detail) |
 Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery |
Birmingham | 1 | The Bells of Saint Mark's, Venice |
 National Portrait Gallery |
London | 1 | untitled |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
The gaze of Eliza Eastlake (née Bailey) meets the viewer through a quiet, steady presence in this 1864 oil portrait. Painted by Edward Poynter, the work captures the subject in a formal profile that holds her silhouette against a dark, muted background. She exists in a moment of stillness, her features rendered with a clarity that suggests a person caught in a private, dignified pause. The artist, Edward Poynter, focuses…
The figure of Erato, Muse of Poetry, emerges from the shadows in this 1870 oil painting by Edward Poynter. She exists in a quiet moment of contemplation, her presence felt through the soft glow that illuminates her form. This work, created by the English painter Edward Poynter, captures a sense of divine inspiration through the delicate rendering of a celestial being. The subject rests in a state of stillness, her…
This work is titled Self Portrait and was executed by the artist Edward Poynter. Created about 1882, the painting presents a formal and intimate depiction of the artist himself. The subject is a middle-aged man, captured in a moment of quietude that emphasizes his personal presence.
Knuckle Bones, executed by Edward Poynter in 1891, presents a quiet moment of leisure set within a classical architectural environment. The composition centers on three women gathered around a game of knuckle bones, a practice often associated with ancient divination or social pastime. Their arrangement creates a focal point amidst the structured geometry of the surrounding space.
Water Babies is an oil painting by the British artist Edward Poynter, executed in 1900. The work functions as a blend of history painting and nude art, capturing a specific moment of classical repose. It depicts two women bathing in Ancient Rome, a subject matter that aligns with the artist's engagement with classical antiquity.
In "Wonders of the Deep" by Edward Poynter, a rocky cavern holds a heavy, mythological silence. The composition centers on Persephone, who lies reclined within the stone shadows. Above her, Hades reaches out to offer fruit, a gesture that anchors the narrative tension. Around these central figures, smaller nymphs and mythological beings drift through the gloom, their forms caught in the layered depth of the underworld. The cavern walls and…
Water Babies (1900). Eliza Eastlake (née Bailey) (1864) and Apelles come next.
64 years old: Water Babies dates from 1900, and Edward Poynter was born in 1836.
Water Babies, Eliza Eastlake (née Bailey), Apelles, Study For The Ides Of March, On the Temple Steps, Orpheus And Eurydice, Faithful Unto Death, Erato, Muse Of Poetry, the festival and Self Portrait. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 219 works by Edward Poynter, dated from 1856 to 1917.
Mostly in Yale Center for British Art (New Haven), Carnavalet Museum (Paris) and Art Gallery of South Australia (Adelaide). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1870s: 10 of the 100 works on this page were made then, Erato, Muse Of Poetry among them.
On this page, the earliest is Lynmouth (1856) and the latest Wonders of the Deep (1917).
Woman (10), Women (10) and Nudes (10), across the 100 works on this page.
Oil On Canvas, for 13 of the 100 works on this page.
Pre-raphaelite, judging by the originals on this page.
