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Frank Cadogan Cowper - 'Vanity', 1907

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Franz Xaver Winterhalter - 'Portrait of Countess Varvara Musina-Pushkina' (detail)

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John Waterhouse - 'Saint Cecilia' (detail), 1895

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Portrait of Empress Maria Theresa, sovereign of Austria, Bohemia and Hungary, Detail. by Martin van Meytens, first half of 18th century

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Peter Paul Rubens - 'Brigida Spinola Doria', 1605

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Baroque architecture inside Reichenbach Abbey in Bavaria, Germany.

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source | David Hanjani | cityneonlights

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Gustav Klimt - 'The Kiss (Lovers)', 1907-1908

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Kinuko Y. Craft - 'Queen Elizabeth I'

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William-Adolphe Bouguereau - Wet Cupid, 1891

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Isabelle de Borchgrave's paper clothing. Details of dress of Queen Polyxene of Assie

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William-Adolphe Bouguereau - Flora And Zephyr (1875)

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Richard Westall - Flora Unveiled by Zephyrs (1807)

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In memory of the King

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Persephone was the daughter of Demeter (fertility goddess of the earth) and later queen of the underworld in Greek mythology. She was so beautiful that her mother attempted to keep her hidden from the eyes of gods and men. However, while picking flowers, Persephone caught the eye of Hades, god of the Underworld.

Hades abducted Persephone and brought her to the Underworld. Demeter searched the earth for her lost daughter but could find no trace of her and began starving the earth so the other gods would do something to help her. Word quickly traveled to Zeus that Hades was holding Persephone and he demanded the goddess be returned to her mother.

Not wanting to part from his new queen, Hades tricked Persephone into eating Pomegranate seeds, which caused her to be bound to the underworld. Persephone was allowed to return to her mother for half of each year, but would always have to return to Hades.

Demeter starves the earth during the part of the year while she mourns her daughter, causing the annual changing seasons. 

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…The sharp, gold-tipped arrow pierced the heart of Apollo inflaming his love for Daphne, a beautiful nymph, daughter of the river god Peneus, while the blunt, lead-tipped arrow struck the nymph creating an intense aversion for love in the heart. She was constantly rejecting the love of the glorious Apollo, despite his repeated pleadings and cajoleries. She similarly detested all the other men who were trying to get her. In the meanwhile, Apollo was persistently pursuing Daphne. The poor girl, in order to escape from him and to protect his virginity, pleaded for help from her father, Peneus, who drew back to Daphne’s prayers and transformed the nymph into a nice short plant with excellent smell. This plant was the laurel, which is called “daphne” is Greek, after the nymph’s name. Apollo was heart-broken at the loss of Daphne and to remember her for ever, he made the laurel the symbol of tribute to poets. The laurel became therefore the symbol of the god. Note that Pythia, the priestess in the oracle of Delphi, was chewing leaves of laurel to communicate with Apollo and give her prophesies to people.