Mischief and Repose

Mischief and Repose is an 1895 oil-on-canvas painting by British artist John William Godward.

Godward's 1895 painting depicts an interior scene from Ancient Greece or Rome, following the Neoclassical tradition of Lawrence Alma-Tadema.

It depicts two auburn-haired young women, both dressed in long flowing robes modelled on an ancient chiton, made of a sheer material, respectively blue and grey, and tied at the waist.

Neither of the women engages with the viewer, and the cold academic style of the painting and their pale skin makes each as a petrified statue, like the rest of the marble room.

It was sold at Christie's in 1924 by Sir Henry Grayson, and passed through the hands of several deals and collectors, including Nathan Mitchell and H. Aron.