Attributed to George Willoughby Maynard

Attributed to GEORGE W. MAYNARD (Washington D.C, 1843-New York,1923)
"Muses playing in the water".
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 60 x 105 cm; 72 x 117 cm (frame).

This allegorical composition of marine theme, attributed to George Willoughby Maynard, is integrated with coherence in the symbolic universe developed by the artist. Beautiful nude female figures emerge among the waves, accompanied by a lyre and a boat on the horizon, elements that suggest an allegorical reading linked to travel, creation and the human experience in the face of the unknown. The sea functions here as a metaphor, not simply as a landscape.

It presents evident parallels with In Strange Seas (1889, Metropolitan Museum of Art), where Maynard also uses the ocean as a symbolic setting and the female figure as the embodiment of abstract ideas. The soft, pearly modeling of the flesh tones, the vibrant brushwork in the depiction of water, and the classical idealization of the bodies reveal clear technical and conceptual affinities. The luminous atmosphere and narrative character reinforce their proximity to the artist's own allegorical and decorative language.

George Willoughby Maynard was a prominent American painter and muralist, an important figure in the allegorical painting of the Gilded Age. Born in Washington in 1843, he trained at the National Academy of Design and in Antwerp with Joseph van Lerius, completing his artistic education in Europe. He achieved great prestige for his mural cycles, especially those of the Library of Congress in Washington, as well as commissions for important institutions and public buildings. His work constitutes a bridge between European academicism and the monumental ambition of American decorative painting of the late 19th century.