As befits any true princess – for Ms Bella is also Princess Bella – she sits on a throne with a slave at her feet worshipping her heels. In her hands she holds a riding crop and her pet snake and from the window we see a view of high above Edinburgh, her favourite city and where she is now based.
In this dark Gothic setting the emphasis is on chastity and the passing of time.
The commissioner of this painting of Mistress Tyler is often separated from his mistress for a long period. In her left hand she holds an hourglass to denote the time passing. Strapped down to a wooden framework he gazes up lovingly at her as she teases his nipples with cords and her heel digs into his chastity cage .
How long will the torment last? Will he face the same fate as the poor remains in the background, perhaps?
