Who painted the 1896 oil painting Pandora that depicts the mythological woman beside her opened vessel?

John William Waterhouse painted the 1896 oil painting Pandora, which depicts the mythological woman beside her opened vessel.

Waterhouse was an English painter associated with the later Pre-Raphaelite movement. His works frequently drew on classical mythology, literature, and medieval subjects, often presenting women from myths and legends as psychologically charged figures rather than merely decorative characters.

In Pandora, the figure is shown at the moment associated with the release of the world's troubles. The painting's title identifies the subject, while the vessel provides the visual link to the ancient story. Waterhouse's treatment emphasizes atmosphere and character, using a single mythological episode as a dramatic scene.

The painting is often discussed alongside Waterhouse's other mythological works, including The Lady of Shalott and Hylas and the Nymphs. It should not be confused with Dante Gabriel Rossetti's later painting also titled Pandora.