#arthurhughes — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

"Fair Rosamund," Arthur Hughes, 1854.

Hughes (1832-1915) wasn't a full-fledged member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, but he might as well have been. His style was heavily influenced by them, and was a favorite with its members.

Here he depicts a legend from history. Rosamund was supposedly the mistress of Henry II of England, who built a secret garden for her, where he could visit. One day, the king's wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, found the secret garden and later had Rosamund poisoned.

Here we see Rosamund hiding behind a wall from the Queen, although Eleanor isn't fooled. The lovely flowers hold clues to the ending of the story...the Queen steps out on a path that's lined with foxglove, a highly poisonous plant. Rosamund stands among some purple irises, which were often planted on women's graves, as the goddess Iris was said by some to guide women's souls to the Elysian Fields.

Although why the queen had her poisoned is a puzzle to me...back then, it was a matter of course that royal marriages were arranged for political alliance, and not for love, and outside dalliances were the norm.

I do like the name "Rosamund." Too bad it's not used much anymore.

From the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

#Art #PreRaphaelite #ArthurHughes #WomenInArt #EleanorOfAquitaine