Pia De' Tolomei (Beautiful Italian Woman) Glass

This design features a painting by the Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882). It shows Pia de' Tolomei, who was an Italian noblewoman from Siena that appeared as a minor character in Dante's Divine Comedy, where she was murdered by her husband. She was noted for her great beauty. Dante Gabriel Rossetti has portrayed her here with long flowing locks of red hair, as was his wont. She is seated in a garden of an Italian palace. Her neck is elongated by her posture, which emphasizes her white pale skin. There are green leaves beside her head, symbolising the flourishing of youth and beauty. The original artwork was painted circa 1868.