Pygmalion and the Image series which dates back to 1867–1870, used harsher tones, darker colours and less fluid lines – as may be seen in the Gallery below. This second version, despite being painted in oils, has the sheen and soft tones of chalk. The story tells of Pygmalion, a sculptor of Cyprus, the birthplace of Aphrodite. It was first related in Ovid's "Metamorphoses", although by the time of this series, William Morris had written his own version of the story. Pygmalion is seen here in his studio, pondering his lonely life, having chosen to remain celibate in disgust at what he saw as the
Pygmalion of Tyre of kings given in Menander/Josephus. It was argued, based on philological considerations, that the name as given in the Assyrian text could be matched to a Phoenician "Ba‘al-‘azor" and the Greek "Baal-Eser/Balazeros", a name corresponding to two kings in Menander’s list. The first "Balazeros" was a son of Hiram I, contemporary of David and Solomon, so this was too early, but the second name referred to the grandfather of Pygmalion and was therefore in the right date range. Pygmalion’s dates are derived from Josephus’s "Against Apion" i.18, where Josephus quotes the Phoenician historian Menander as follows: Pygmalion . . .