Properzia Rossi

Last class we talked a little bit with regards to Isabella; or, The Pot of Basil about how themes are incorporated throughout different art forms, particularly with poetry and painting, and how they are interpreted similarly or differently in the work. This relationship with painting and poetry seems to repeat itself throughout history, which I find very interesting. I was unable to find Ducis' painting of the work, but I was able to find a description of the painting that described Properzia Rossi showing her last work to a knight, presumably her lover, who basically looked like he didn't care about her work or wasn't impressed. Throughout the poem we see Hemans describe Rossi's work with references to nature (roses, sunshine, etc.), and then describe the lover's reaction to the work with references to death. I assume the lover was not literally killing Properzia, although I may be wrong, and that this is a metaphor to show how her lover has taken away part of her life by not caring about her work. I also think the combination of nature and death simile's is interesting, as this appeared in many of the poems in last week's class.