After the Dance by John William Waterhouse was painted in 1876 during the artist's Romantic period, and is part of a private collection. The work is only the 11th of the roughly 120 well-known paintings by Waterhouse and is currently held in a private collection.
As the title suggests, the painting depicts a scene taking place after a dance. Two young people have just finished dancing and are now on the floor in the foreground, reclining on cushions. One figure, a boy, is sat with his knees drawn up, holding in one hand a yellow flower. The other is a girl laying on two pillows, a tambourine laying beside her and an orange cloth or garment draped over her lower body. In the background, two male musicians can be seen performing for the continuing out-of-view dance, the leftmost playing a lyre and the rightmost an aulos. Another man watches from the shadows behind the musicians. The setting is of a Roman interior, specifically an atrium.
The Magazine of Art 1886: Vol 9 describes the painting, then adds:
See also List of paintings by John William Waterhouse
References
External links Art Renewal Center, After the Dance