The Argonaut Hylas, sent to fetch water, bends over a pool where seven naked nymphs rise among lily pads to draw him in, never to return. Waterhouse gives the nymphs near-identical faces, perhaps from only two models, and keeps Hylas in shadowed profile. Manchester bought it from the artist in 1896, and its brief removal from display in 2018 caused an outcry.
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One nymph grips his wrist, another tugs at his tunic and a third offers pearls in her open palm. Among the lilies is an early depiction of the yellow water lily.
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Compared by a vision model
