A Huguenot, on St. Bartholomew's Day, Refusing to Shield Himself from Danger by Wearing the Roman Catholic Badge (1851-52) by John Everett Millais.
The woman, who is Catholic, is attempting to convince her sweetheart, who is Protestant, to wear the white armband declaring allegiance to Catholicism.
She wants to keep him safe.
The young man firmly pulls off the armband at the same time as gently holding his lover.
The painting refers to the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre on August 24, 1572, when around 3,000 French Protestants (Huguenots) were murdered in Paris, with around 20,000 massacred across the rest of France. A small number of Protestants escaped from the city through subterfuge by wearing white armbands.
In the language of flowers, the blue Canterbury Bells at the left stand for faith and constancy.
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