Queen Eleanor

Queen Eleanor

Anthony Frederick Augustus Sandys

1858

Oil on canvas

40.6 x 30.5 cm

Amgueddfa Cymru Caerdydd [National Museum of Wales, Cardiff]. Accession Number: NMW A 185.

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“Queen Eleanor was the jealous wife of King Henry II. According to legend, Henry hid his mistress Fair Rosamund in a maze. Sandys depicts Eleanor following the red silk cord which the king used to find his true-love. In her hands she carries a dagger to kill the watching guard and a goblet of poison for Rosamund.” — Museum label

Photographs by the National Museum of Wales, which retains copyright. Formatting by George P. Landow. Readers of the Victorian Web may wish to visit the Museum website.]