The background features two shadowy male figures holding a dagger and a chalice of poison, possibly alluding to the character of Lady Macbeth, these men surround the extra pale subject who floats on a column of clouds all while seated on a large throne.
William Beechey attempted to surpass this work with a more earthy depiction that depicted the subject holding a mask and a bloody knife, but it is another portrait, by its creator's most famous rival, showing the title figure in a large black hat that this work is most often compared to. The background features two shadowy male figures holding a dagger and a chalice of poison, possibly alluding to the character of Lady Macbeth, these men surround the extra pale subject who floats on a column of clouds all while seated on a large throne. She wears huge robes and looks to the left doing an impression of Melpomene. FTP identify this 1784 portrait that depicts a famous actress as an inspirational figure from Greek myth, a painting by Joshua Reynolds.
William Beechey attempted to surpass this work with a more earthy depiction that depicted the subject holding a mask and a bloody knife, but it is another portrait, by its creator's most famous rival, showing the title figure in a large black hat that this work is most often compared to.
Sarah Siddons as the Tragic Muse (accept equivalents that contain Siddons and Tragic Muse)