attention to detail. Moreover, this work illustrates de Morgans connection to spiritualism. De Morgan used Spiritualist texts and theories as a guideline in several of her paintings. In this artwork, de Morgan applies colour theory to enhance the female figure’s importance and dominance. According to Smith, this painting is stylistically equivalent to other Pre-Raphaelite works that were created during this time. However, her spiritual iconography offers the viewer an interesting perspective: "She uses her spiritualist vocabulary to subvert and renegotiates traditional roles and stereotypes of women, providing instead a strong, powerful, skilled, intelligent protagonist, capable of reaching the enlightenment she herself sought." In this painting, the viewer is presented with a female figure who brews a love poison. Instead of depicting the figure as a sorceress, as was traditional in the nineteenth century, de Morgan portrays the woman as a scholar. She is painted as an intellectual and ambitious woman. According to the De Morgan Foundation, several aspects are shaped by spiritualism. Thus the work should be interpreted as an allegorical painting on the progress of the soul towards enlightenment. Firstly, de Morgan depicted some books in the background that included titles of popular texts within the spiritualist movement. Secondly, the colour scheme that she used in this painting is based on alchemical colour symbolism. This theory was promoted by the Renaissance botanist, physician, astrologer, general occultist, and alchemist Paracelsus. According to this theory, four colours mark the progressive stages towards enlightenment. It is said that these stages will eventually lead to a complete state of enlightenment which is represented by the colour gold. The four colours that mark this progress are black, white, red, and yellow. The alchemical theory steps are similar to the phases one needs to take to reach a spiritual illumination state. According to Smith this spiritual theory, this process involved several steps: "from calcination ('the death of the profane'), solution ('the purification of matter'), sublimation ('the suffering resulting from the mystic detachment from the world and the dedication to spiritual striving'), to philosophic congelation, a harmonious union of opposites, especially between the male or stable principle and the female or variable principle". Thus, this painting illustrates Evelyn's use of spiritualist texts and theories in her pre-war art. References De Morgan Foundation, "Evelyn De Morgan" under "The De Morgans" Lawton Smith, Elise "The Art of Evelyn De Morgan", Womens Art Journal 18, no. 2 (Fall/Winter 1997):