Pia de Tolomei, Dante Gabriel Rossetti.La Pia de’ Tolommei depicts a character from the final lines
Pia de Tolomei, Dante Gabriel Rossetti.La Pia de’ Tolommei depicts a character from the final lines of 14th- century Italian poet Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy, Purgatory. La Pia, was unjustly imprisoned by her jealous husband in a castle in Maremma, Italy, where she died there under mysterious circumstances.Here, La Pia sits upon the ramparts of the castle. The surrounding foliage alludes to her frustrating and miserable situation. She plays with her wedding ring that symbolizes how a once joyous event now represents her unfortunate predicament. The sundial in the lower left corner is a reminder of the passing of time, or the coming of death. The rosary lying on an open prayer book refers to her name La Pia, which translates as “The Pious.” Old love letters from her husband also symbolize the passing of time. The bundle of lances on the ground serves as a threatening barrier both compositionally and symbolically to the landscape below and her potential freedom. The red and pink banner of her husband draped across them reminds us of her captivity and that her once-beloved husband is now her jailer. Black crows flying above are thought to symbolize verse five of Rossetti’s poem “Sunset Wings” from 1871, about love that changes, never to be relived. (x) -- source link
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