Lilith by John Collier is an oil on canvas painting dated 1887. The work depicts the mythological figure Lilith, a subject drawn from Jewish folklore and Victorian literary sources, and was completed during the height of Collier’s career as a prominent British painter associated with the Pre-Raphaelite movement. The painting presents a nude female figure with long, flowing red hair, standing in a lush, green forest setting. A large serpent coils around her body from her shoulders to her feet, its head resting near her right arm.

The figure’s eyes are closed, and her posture is relaxed, with one arm raised to her head. The background is densely painted with foliage, rendered in deep greens and browns, creating a sense of enclosure and emphasizing the figure’s pale skin. Collier’s technique is meticulous, with smooth brushwork and careful attention to anatomical detail and the texture of the snake’s scales. This painting is held in the collection of The Atkinson, Southport.

Lilith is one of several works by Collier exploring mythological and literary themes, and it reflects the late nineteenth-century fascination with femme fatale figures. The work has been exhibited in various contexts as an example of Victorian interpretations of myth and the Pre-Raphaelite approach to allegorical subjects.