In this lush and introspective work, Rossetti presents a red-haired woman poised between inspiration and hesitation as she tunes her violin. Her gaze drifts, lost in thought, while a caged canary in the background sings—a symbolic muse echoing the music she has yet to play. The green velvet drapery, the yellow daffodils, and the rich textures of her garments immerse the viewer in the opulence and symbolism typical of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. This painting was intended to represent the moment of artistic conception, suspended between sound and silence, music and emotion. Rossetti, ever the poet-painter, included an accompanying sonnet to heighten the allegorical reading.