The subject of this painting comes the poem Mariana by Tennyson (1830), which is turn was inspired by Shakespeare's play Measure for Measure. The woman depicted, Mariana, was rejected by her fiancé after her dowry was lost, and lives a solitary life yearning for lost love.
This painting is also in the Tate Britain's permanent collection, and I've always admired it for the brilliant blues of the dress she's wearing and the oranges of the stool.
This painting is also in the Tate Britain's permanent collection, and I've always admired it for the brilliant blues of the dress she's wearing and the oranges of the stool.