Una and the Lion

Oil on canvas

This painting by Briton Riviere, a British artist was known for picturing animals in his paintings. It shows Una from the poem, The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser. The poem is allegorical about Queen Elizabeth I, who according to the poem trained the lion so well that it doesn't attack the lamb. The lion is thought to represent Queen Elizabeth's power, her elegance and her aristocratic figure.