In the Peristyle

John William Waterhouse composed this In the Peristyle in 1874, early in his artistic career. The oil on canvas shows a young girl feeding pigeons on an outdoor balcony surrounded by ancient Greek architecture and lush vegetation. A ceramic vase with plants sits beside a black wooden chair detailed in gold, while birds gather on the light stone floor.

The model wears a white robe revealing one shoulder, with pink fabric wrapped around her waist. Her long blonde hair and downcast gaze as she scatters food create an intimate moment. Waterhouse was not yet fully embracing the Pre-Raphaelite movement at this point, working instead in an academic style influenced by Frederic Leighton and Lawrence Alma-Tadema.

This painting came just a year before the Royal Academy accepted Waterhouse for their summer exhibition. It hangs at Touchstones Rochdale (Rochdale Arts & Heritage Service) in England. The classical setting and beautiful female subject would become hallmarks of Waterhouse's later, more famous mythological paintings.