First exhibited in 1837, William Etty’s The Sirens and Ulysses is a large oil painting on canvas depicting the scene from Homer’s Odyssey in which Ulysses resists the temptation from the Sirens’ song by tying himself up to his boat. The Sirens are sitting atop their conquest of sailors whom they have successfully charmed. While Sirens had not been physically described in the Odyssey, they are typically represented as animal-human chimeras in ancient Greek mythology. Etty opted instead to portray them as naked young women, posed in a traditionally dramatic style. Critics argue this pose was due to Etty’s classical training when models were always in traditional poses. Etty became well known for painting nude figures in mythological settings. As such, while some peers admired his work, others criticised it as indecent. Etty was not experienced in painting landscapes. The seascape backdrop for The Sirens and Ulysses is cited as elementary in comparison with the rest of the work. Etty painted with a radical technique involving glue and paint stabiliser which forced the paint to dry and flake once dry. Unfortunately, this caused the artwork to immediately decay upon completion. Its poor condition entailed that it was not placed for public display. This lack of public display ensured it achieved little influence among other artists, and by the end of the 19th century, Etty’s work was being sold well below their original prices. The paintwork deterioration of The Sirens and Ulysses, and also its unorthodox size and polarising content, meant The Sirens and Ulysses failed to sell until it was bought by a Mancunian merchant Daniel Grant for a fairly cheap price.