The Decameron, 1915 - 1916: Boccaccio's tales of 14th century are the basis of this dramatic composition of 1916. In 1348 a party of wealthy young patricians take refuge from the plague that is raging in the city in a villa outside Florence.To pass the time, they tell each other stories. Ranging from the earthily comic to the profoundly tragic, they encompass marital misunderstanding and thwarted passion, the simple joys of physical love as well as exuberant tales of deception and hypocrisy shamed . The perceived bawdiness of the novellas is somewhat challenged by Waterhouse's exploration of the suppressed sexual tension and emotion in the contrasted faces and demeanours of the women.The idyllic garden setting, the inclusion of the symbolic lutes of love give the picture a dramatic intensity.

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