Frederic Lord Leighton is one of the artists of the school of the Victorian period. Many of the paintings of women of this period show a strong, square-jawed face, as you see, for example, in the many works of Rosetti. They often seem to have a mystical quality about them. While I am not usually a fan of paintings of this era, I find this painting absolutely mesmerizing. The rich translucence of the orange silk gown gives it a vibrant, sumptuous feel. I have a copy of this beautiful painting, framed in gold, above the bed in my chambre d'amis.

I believe the original of this work is in the Museo de Arte de Ponce, in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was recently (in 1996) part of an important exhibit of the Victorian painters, at the Tate Gallery, in London.