Arethusa (painting)

Summary

Arethusa is an 1802 history painting by the American-born British artist Benjamin West. It features a nude scene of Arethusa, a figure from Greek mythology. A nymph, she was the chaste attendant of the Goddess of Love Artemis. Inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses it shows her disturbed while bathing in a stream by the river god Alpheus. While he pursued her, she escaped by transforming herself into a fountain. She is shown with bright copper-coloured hair