Pre-Raphaelites: Marie Spartali Stillman's Love's Messenger

Love's Messenger is the only Pre-Raphaelite painting in our selections done by a woman. In this painting, a dove bearing a love letter, lands on the hand of a young woman. She rewards the dove with kernels of corn. In front of the woman is the embroidery she has set aside, which depicts a blind cupid. (Love is blind?) This painting is mixed media-an opaque watercolor, pastel and chalk. Delaware Art Museum states that 

Student's (age 4) sketch showing the details of Love's Messanger.

"this combination creates a rich surface which resembles oil paint, but has a softer finish."