The painting shown in the image is titled "The Lion's Bride" ("La sposa del leone") and is a work created by the Austro-Bohemian artist Gabriel Cornelius Ritter von Max (1840-1915). The work, painted in 1908, is a well-known example of Symbolist art.
Artist: Gabriel Cornelius von Max, an Austrian painter known for his works that combine elements of naturalism, mysticism, and symbolism, often focusing on animal and human subjects in emotional and sometimes tragic situations.
Subject: The painting depicts a young woman dressed in white and wearing a crown of flowers, apparently lifeless, lying next to a large male lion inside a cage or enclosure.
Interpretation: The scene is imbued with an emotional and suggestive atmosphere. The gaze of the lion, resting its paws on the woman, has been described as protective, sorrowful, or tender, suggesting a deep and perhaps tragic bond between the two, or the woman's tragic end. The bars in the background accentuate the sense of imprisonment and the context of the lie.
Cultural Influence: The painting became very popular and was even referenced in 1919 as a homage in a scene from the silent film "Male and Female" directed by Cecil B. DeMille, with actress Gloria Swanson posing in a similar stance with a real lion.