Christina Rossetti's sonnet "In an artist's studio" almost seems to
             describe Renoir paintings, many of which contain the same female face.
             However, Rossetti's poem is rich with metaphorical undertones that suggest
             deeper themes of beauty, truth, and illusion. An artist paints the same
             face over and over in his work; she never changes, never ages, never
             appears older. In short, she is an idealized vision of a woman, one who is
             "not as she is, but as she fills his dream," (14). Rossetti composes her
             sonnet in the Italian, or Petrarchan form, with the standard fourteen lines
             delivered in iambic pentameter with an ABBA ABBA CDCDCD rhyme scheme.
             Unlike the Shakespearean sonnets, the Italian form does not include a
             heroic couplet, or two rhyming lines, at the end of the poem. However, the
             octave and the sestet are distinct sections; the octave describes the
             nameless, timeless woman, and the sestet offers meaningful insight into the
             psychology behind the artist's idealization of her form. "In an artist's
             studio" lyrically expresses the nature of illusion, especially in regards
             Rossetti also employs a unique structural element in the poem: lines
             one and two; lines five through seven; and lines twelve through fourteen
             begin with the same words. This adds extra rhythm to an already strict
             metrical form. "One face looks out from all his canvasses, One selfsame
             figure sits or walks or leans," (1-2). The repetition of the word "One at
             the beginning of the first two lines draws the reader in. Likewise, lines
             five through seven all begin with the indefinite article: "A queen in opal
             or in ruby dress, A nameless girl in freshest summer greens, A saint,
             an angel - every canvass means," (5-7). Here, the effect is on emphasis;
             Rossetti uses repetition to underscore the character of the woman in
             question. Finally, the last three lines of the sonnet also begin with the
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