John William Waterhouse, St Cecilia (1895)

During a recent visit to the art museum of Montreal, I was surprised to find in its 19th-century section John William Waterhouse's painting St Cecilia(1895). Waterhouse, a "late" pre-Raphaelite artist (in comparison, say, to someone like John Everett Millais), has been one of my favorite Victorian painters. His depictions of classical and medieval characters have always fascinated me, and I have used some of his paintings in class to illustrate to my students well-known myths such as Ulysses and the Sirens, or the story of Echo and Narcissus. The painting here represents St Cecilia, the patron saint of musicians. It became famous in 2000 for being the most expansive painting by this artist, sold at more than 6 million pounds at an auction. It looks like the museum either managed to rebuy it or that the collector let it borrow it :)

If you're looking for a good book on Waterhouse, I would highly recommend Peter Trippi's splendid book (edited by Phaidon), but be aware that it doesn't seem to be published anymore, so second hands are your only option. Used copies of the paperpack editions are still reasonably priced.