The Lady of Shalott (William Holman Hunt)

The painting depicts the pivotal scene in the third part of the poem: the Lady spies "bold Sir Launcelot" in her mirror.

The painting depicts the moment immediately after the Lady of Shalott has looked directly out of her window at Sir Launcelot, as her fate begins to unwind.

She is standing within her circular loom, with an unfinished and indistinct tapestry intended to represent Galahad presenting the Holy Grail to Arthur,[1][2] However, the weaving is breaking, trapping her in its threads.

Her feet are bare, with her slip-on pattens nearby, and her long hair has whipped up wildly above her head.

[2] To her left is an oval roundel of the adoration of the Christ Child by Mary (representing humility), based on a work by Lucca della Robbia that Hunt owned.

[5] Above the roundels is a frieze of a stylised sky, containing cherubs and haloed female figures guiding planets and a sphere of stars.

William Holman Hunt , The Lady of Shalott , c. 1888 –1905, Wadsworth Atheneum
Wood engraving by John Thompson , published in 1857, based on Hunt's drawing, 95 × 79 mm