This started as a simple doodle of a random smiling African woman, but then I wanted to give her more of a backstory (as happens sometimes when I draw portraits). So I decided to identify her as my representation of Salammbo, a priestess of Tanit from ancient Carthage who is the titular character of an 1862 novel by the French author Gustave Flaubert.

Flaubert’s novel takes place during the Mercenary Revolt of 241 BC, with Salammbo having to retrieve a sacred veil after the Libyan mercenary Matho (who lusts after her) steals it. The two eventually come together to make love, but the story ends tragically for both of them, with Salammbo dying of shock upon watching her lover be tortured in anticipation of his execution at the hands of the Carthaginian state.