Flaming June by Frederic Leighton

Flaming June by Frederic Leighton, oil on canvas 1895, is a painting of a draped female figure in repose, reclining in an elegant marble interior, the natural light of the setting sun illuminating the scene in a range of warm, brilliant colours like liquid gold. The elegant, classical figure and smooth contours evoke the nymphs and draped figures of the sculpture of classical Greece, while the inclusion of the toxic Oleander plant above provides a Romantic reminder of the link between sleep and death. Flaming June is the artist’s most famous painting among many that are regaining recognition after a long period of neglect of art of the Victorian era.