This painting is called “Ophelia”, completed in 1852 by British artist John Everett Millais.
It depicts the young Danish noblewoman Ophelia in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, who due to Hamlet’s actions, loses her sanity and drowns. (Act IV, Scene VII).
Ophelia’s pose, her open arms and upwards gaze, resembles portrayals of saints or martyrs, but has also been interpreted as erotic.
A.G. Munson
