Mermaid Art
Sirens
Mermaids have existed in the minds of men from the earliest of ancient times. Their appearances in literature and works of art throughout history and around the world are so numerous that only a handful can be mentioned here. (Find further reading below.)
The earliest known depiction of a part-fish part-human creature is Dagon, the sea god of ancient Assyria. His image is found in bas-relief at Khorsabad, he appears wearing a sacred cap topped with a fleur-de-lis and he has the body of a man and the tail of a fish. He also appears on Assyrian cylinders as a fish with the face, arms and legs of a man.
Dagon is believed to be identical to the Babylonian deity Oannes or Ea.
Click images for information and enlargements.
In early Greek and Roman art, Triton is represented as a man with the tail of a dolphin, an idea so loved by poets and artists that an entire race of dolphin-tailed men called Tritons soon appeared in literature and other works of art.
Etruscan funeral urns and sarcophagi are often found decorated with half-human half-fish creatures or sirens.
From ancient to medieval times the sirens were depicted as beautiful but terrible part-bird part-woman monsters that lured men to their watery deaths by enchanting them with their sweet singing. Later the sirens took the form of mermaids but still they were often known as demon-like creatures who tempted sailors with their songs of death.
Yet in other works, mermaids were the image of grace and beauty representing baptism by water and the soul's entrance into heaven, and sirens appeared as gentle figures symbolizing love and mourning.
In Christian art the mermaid represented the dual nature of Christ, but she was also a symbol for vanity, temptation, and evil. When she was shown holding a fish, a symbol for the soul, the image represented a Christian soul bewitched by evil.
As art became less interested in morals and more interested in aesthetic form, the mermaids and sirens became less like monsters and more like beautiful maidens. The modern mermaid appears as a lovely fish-maiden found sunning herself on the rocks, combing her long golden hair.
See also: Aquatic, Dolphins, Fairies, Fantasy, Nautical
Museum Exhibitions and Collections
Explore mermaid images from art history in library and museum collections.
Mythic Creatures: Becoming Mermaids
An online exhibition from the American Museum of Natural History, includes images and information about water spirits such as Mami Wata, Lasiren, Sedna and Yawkyawk, also features a brief account of the FeeJee Mermaid and accounts of sightings.
V&A: Mermaids
View objects related to mermaids in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
LACMA: Mermaids
View images of mermaids in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, includes a small selection of Japanese netsuke.
Mami Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa and its Diasporas
An exhibit from The National Museum of African Art.
Powerhouse Museum
View objects related to mermaids including vessels, netsuke, a lace panel, and other items.
MFA: Mermaids
View images in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, includes drawings, paintings, prints, netsuke, and related objects.
Philadelphia Museum of Art: Mermaids
Includes decorative art, sculpture, and Edvard Munch's mermaid painting.
The FeJee Mermaid Archive
Information about P.T. Barnum's FeJee mermaid, from the Lost Museum.
Image Collections
ArtMagick: Thematic art albums featuring obscure 19th century images of mermaids, sirens, nymphs, and naiads.
Mermaids
Mer & Waterfolk
Mer & Waterfolk II
Sea Creatures
Atlantean I
Daughters of the Sea
NYPL: Mermaids and Mermen
A collection of images related to mermaids and mermen in the New York Public Library's Digital Gallery.
Narrative Identity: Artwork and Representation
Collection of mermaid artwork, cartoons, comics and book covers from Wellesley College, also includes the Mermaid Myth and The Psychology of Mermaids.
Water in Art: Mermaids and Sirens
An overview of the mystery associated with women and water.
Medieval Bestiary: Mermaid Gallery
Small collection of medieval mermaid paintings and sculptures with descriptions.
Sirens
The Getty: Sirens
View images related to sirens in the online collections of the Getty Museum. See also: Applique with Scylla
MFA: Sirens
View objects related to sirens from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, includes tools and equipment, vessels, sculpture, and other items.
Medieval Bestiary : Siren Gallery
A collection of siren images from the Middle Ages.
ArtMagick: Sirens
A selection of images showing a diverse representation of the siren, includes works by John William Waterhouse, Armand Point, Arnold Bocklin, Sir Edward John Poynter and others.
References & Suggested Reading
Bond, Francis. Wood Carvings in English Churches. London: Oxford University Press, 1910.
Gosse, Philip Henry. Assyria, Her Manners and Customs, Arts and Arms. London: Samuel Bently and Co., 1852.
Harrison, Jane Ellen. Myths of the Odyssey in Art and Literature. London: Rivingtons, 1882.
O., Seemann. Bianchi, G. H., ed.The Mythology of Greece and
Rome, With Special Reference to its Use in Art. New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1877.
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