A disciple of Rossetti, Sandys specialised in half-length figures of beautiful but often destructive women. His meticulous attention to detail is typical of the Pre-Raphaelite school. Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (c.1122-1204), the wife of the English King Henry II, was reputed to have murdered his mistress Fair Rosamund and appears here with a poisoned cup and dagger. The red cord in her left hand is that which showed the way through the maze to Rosamund's bower.