The Whipping Queen


Intended as his great masterpiece, Erich von Stroheim’s last silent film, Queen Kelly (1929), is perhaps the most famous example of an unfinished work in cinematic history. The great director enjoyed mocking the opulent and decadent lifestyles of the aristocracy.

The film is set in the fictional European city of Kronberg and it tells the story of the Prince Regent, Wolfram (played by Walter Byron), who is engaged to be married to Queen Regina V (played in a mesmerizing performance by Seena Owen). Supreme ruler, Regina’s word is law and he is a mere plaything for her pleasure. The wild, but wimpish, Wolfram strikes up a flirtation with the saucy, tempestuous convent-girl Patricia Kelly, played by the legendary actress, Gloria Swanson. Enthralled by her beauty, the prince kidnaps Kelly from the convent, takes her to his room and professes his love for her.

Von Stroheim stages the primal conflict between the two Women in such a lavish operatic style that it's almost impossible not to get caught up in the underlying emotions. The possessive Queen is determined to have the prince all to herself, whether or not he loves her. In a breathtaking sequence, when the Queen has caught Kelly and her betrothed in bed together, she banishes her rival from the palace, whipping her unmercifully, as the Queen’s amused male courtiers laugh at the spectacle. Regina then puts Wolfram into prison for not wanting to marry her.

The film fell afoul of budget issues due to Production Code censorship, an unhappy Swanson and, most damagingly, the advent of motion picture sound.

Beauty In Image-Making

The renowned American photographer, Craig Morey, has been shooting photography professionally for over 30 years. Beginning in 1988, while working on assignment for Penthouse, he began creating a series of black and white images of the nude which subsequently appeared in numerous publications in the United States, Canada and Europe, and which today adorn hundreds of web sites. Morey also began to find beauty in fetish or bondage imagery, with his use of ropes and bodies in his work.

While Morey is best known for his erotic black and white photography of fine art Female nudes in the “classic” style, he has also embraced digital colour photography in recent years. A fine example of this development is a set of beautiful photographs he shot in his German Fashion Shoot 2004, some images from which are shown here by kind permission of the artist.

“For me, image-making is driven by passion. And I believe the strongest passion we have as humans is the passion for contact with the Other. The sight of a human face or body is confirmation of the mysterious miracle of our own existence. We are hard-wired to respond to such images. All I'm trying to do is capture some of that mystery.” ~ Craig Morey.

Artist’s website: moreystudio.com

Erotic Ex-Libris

An ex-libris [Latin for "from the books of..."], or a bookplate, is a small graphic label or print which is pasted to a book, often on the inside front cover, with the purpose of identifying its owner. In general, ex-libris are commissioned from artists by persons wishing to mark the ownership of the volumes of their library in a more decorative and elegant way than by just writing their name inside.

The earliest known examples of printed bookplates are German, and date from the 15th century. It is estimated that over a million ex-libris have been produced between 1470 and today. Basically a European custom, it has spread widely to Asia (Japan, China, in particular) and somewhat to Latin America. Eastern Europe has an especially rich tradition in graphic arts, and some of the best ex-libris produced in modern times are by Russian, Czech, Slovak and Southeast European artists.

Today, contemporary ex-libris are often made by artists more for exchange between collectors than for marking the ownership of books. They tend to be closer to limited editions of free graphics than to bookplates. But real ex-libris for use in books are also commissioned, collected and studied widely.

An erotic bookplate is essentially a private object, which a person pastes into her/his books, or which can be exchanged with fellow collectors of erotic literature. The subject of an erotic bookplate is usually decided by the artist and the owner together.

This selection of erotic ex libris images have been chosen for the stylish appeal of their D & s undertones. For such typically miniature works of art, the level of intricacy is both surprising and delightful.

Of FemDom Elegance

A favourite artist of my Divine Mistress, Eva Luna, Bernard Montorgueil was the pseudonym of a French BDSM and spanking illustrator and author of short stories, whose works were originally written and published in the 1920s and 30s.

His artwork, which was mostly based on fantastic Female domination themes, was commissioned by a private client after the Second World War and was first circulated underground in the 1950s as four series of drawings together with four texts ("Madame de Varennes","Le Quatre Jeudis”, “Dressage” and “Barbara”). It was only after his death in 1977 that they were republished in limited editions in France, Germany and The Netherlands. His original illustrations were in black and white, and were later colourised probably by an artist employed by one of the republishers.

Bernard Montorgueil's artwork is a splendid and refined expression of male masochism. While today his work is widely available on the internet, his depictions of Feminine and beautful Ladies in complete control of male slaves must have been somewhat of a novelty at the time.

Elegant and opulently dressed Women rule absolutely here. The captive males are kept as their instruments of personal service within the household setting - mere toys for the amusement of their Mistresses, who use the exposed and vulnerable bodies of the slaves for their own pleasures and at their own whims.

For this inspired artist, virility succumbs to a sublime Feminine Dominance that is graceful, humiliating and sensual.

Lady On Red

This evocative painting (1898) of a major English mythological tale is one which constantly beckons for the sheer beauty of The Lady portrayed. {Enlarge the image for a better appreciation}

Painted by the British Pre-Raphaelite artist, John Collier (1850 - 1934), the fabled Lady Godiva is an absolute Goddess here - lithe and humble in her nakedness, yet letting the red dressings of her beautiful horse embody her class, honour and courage. While she appears to be hanging her head in shame, she is in fact a Woman of singular will and determination who is testimony to the power of self-sacrifice in achieving a great public good.

The Story: According to the popular thirteenth century legend, The Lady Godiva, an eleventh century Anglo-Saxon noblewoman and landowner, took pity on the people of Coventry, who were suffering grievously under the oppressive taxation of her husband, Leofric, the Earl of Mercia and Lord of Coventry. Lady Godiva appealed again and again to her husband, who obstinately refused to remit the tolls. At last, weary of her entreaties, he said he would grant her request if she would strip naked and ride through the streets of the town.

Lady Godiva took him at his word and, after issuing a proclamation that all persons should keep within doors and shut their windows, she rode through the town, clothed only in her long hair. Only one person in the town, a tailor ever afterwards known as Peeping Tom, disobeyed her proclamation in one of the most famous instances of voyeurism. In this later story, Tom bores a hole in his shutters so that he might see Godiva pass, and is struck blind. In the end, Godiva's husband keeps his word and abolishes the onerous taxes.

The Spider's Web

One of my favourite paintings is Along Came A Spider (2008) by Scotland’s most successful contemporary artist, Jack Vettriano. The nostalgic aura of this delectable figurative oil painting is reminiscent of the film noire genre and typical of the artist’s distinctive style of romantic realism.

An elegant and seductive Woman languidly relaxes on a couch with a man in the background. Wearing a black cocktail dress and long black gloves, she is supremely confident of her power over the silhouetted male figure in attendance, who is a study in stoic isolation. Clearly, she is no damsel in distress but rather a very strong Woman in serious and contemplative repose, prepared to wield her power unflinchingly.

The painting uses Vettriano’s practised still-life technique of freezing a moment in time between characters whose relationship we can only guess at. It is a moment of high expectation and intense excitement where movement and confrontation is about to happen. Vettriano’s wonderful painting hints at an unfolding encounter between the coupling that is clandestine, forbidden and sensual.

You can view more of the artist’s work at his website here

Lady Flo Triumphant

The colossal work of marble, Florence Triumphant Over Pisa (c. 1575), is to be found in the Bargello Museum, Florence. It was created by the Flemish-born artist, Giambologna (1529 - 1608), a court sculptor to three successive Medici Grand Dukes and an artist whose influence, as an heir to the great Renaissance tradition, on European sculpture was second only to Michelangelo. In fact, the piece was originally conceived as a pendant to Michelangelo’s Genius of Victory, but dreading comparison to the legendary artist, Giambologna deliberately slowed down the completion and exhibition of his work.

Commissioned by Duke Cosimo 1, Francesca de Medici, the marble statue with its refined sense of action is a typical allegory of Medician political propaganda of the time. The city of Florence is personified as a powerful but elegant Female, triumphing over the crushed male figure of Pisa, the nearby rival city then under Florentine rule.

There is a sense of graceful and seductive permanency about this magnificent D/s-themed marble sculpture.

Vintage Illustrations 1

Here is a motley selection of vintage FemDom-themed illustrations for your Sunday morning delectation.

The caption of the first illustration reads: An Occasional Solid Thrashing Awakes Confidence and is Love-Refreshing. This submissive could not agree more with that particular sentiment.



Ms SM Appeal

While Catwoman, America’s enduring Dominatrix icon, successfully evolved since her first 1940s manifestation as Selina Kyle, Britain’s very own Dominatrix icon was the inimitable Emma Peel (as played by Diana Rigg) in the 1960s Spi-Fi TV series, The Avengers.

Mistress Eva Luna is most tolerant of Her slave’s reminiscent femdom fantasy, putting it down to “a quaint generational thing”.

Curtesy of Northbreed1

Character Description: Emma Peel was notable for a number of characteristics. She is a feminist heroine, eschewing traditional "damsel-in-distress" portrayals of women (she is rarely bested in any fight and rescues her spy partner, John Steed, as often as he rescues her). She is a master of martial arts and a formidable fencer. A certified genius, she specializes in chemistry and other sciences. She is often seen in episodes engaging in artistic hobbies and had success in industry at the helm of the company of her late father, Sir John Knight. Her husband, Peter Peel, was a pilot whose plane disappeared over the Amazonian forest. He was presumed dead for many years, and Peel went on to work with Steed. She drove a convertible Lotus Elan at high speeds, and convincingly portrayed any series of undercover roles, from nurse to nanny. Her favorite guise was that of a women's magazine reporter, trying to interview big business tycoons and rich playboys. The name "Emma Peel" is a play on the phrase "Man Appeal" or "M. Appeal", which the production team stated was one of the required elements of the character. However, an alternative explanation derives Mrs Emma Peel from Miss SM appeal.

Madonna Beyond Reach

The dominant themes of the great Norwegian Symbolist artist, and forerunner of expressionism, Edvard Munch (1863 - 1944), were those of love, angst and death. A feature of his hauntingly introspective work are his paintings depicting a Woman and a man together – images in which the former is portrayed as aloof, dominant and inaccessible, while the latter is forlorn, submissive and in a state of mental anguish. These highly-charged paintings of powerful Women and vulnerable men are among the artist's most famous and most troubling.

Man and Woman, 1898

As Munch was a conjurer of psychological disturbance and singularly committed in his art to representing emotional reality in all its rawness, we can perhaps turn to some of the pivotal events and relationships of his life to help throw light on this.

Anxiety, 1894

Edvard’s birth was a physically traumatic experience: “Why was there a curse on my cradle? From the moment of my birth, the angels of anxiety, worry, and death stood at my side, followed me out when I played, followed me in the sun of springtime and in the glories of summer”. Raised in a strict religious household, Edvard’s pietistic and unstable father was emotionally detached from him. Tragically, his mother died of tuberculosis when he was only five years old, while at fourteen, he watched his fifteen-year-old sister, Sophie, succumb to the same disease. He was also to lose his brother who died suddenly in his thirties. His sister’s death, in particular, became an obsession to which he would return again and again in his future work as an artist.

The Murderess, 1906

As a young man he had an affair with Milly Thalow, a married Woman, who tortured him emotionally by telling him about the other men in her life. She was to end the affair after two years. However, Munch's second affair with Tulla Larsen, the daughter of a Norwegian wine merchant, was perhaps the most devastating. She wanted to marry him, but he broke off the engagement. He had been shocked and frightened by the strength of Tulla’s passion. The story goes that to recapture him, Tulla had friends tell Munch she was dying. He rushed to her bedside, only to discover it was a hoax. The final episode took place in 1902 at Munch's cottage in Asgardstrand on the Oslo fjord. An accidental gunshot disfigured his left middle finger. Tulla left for Paris with friends and soon married a younger Norwegian artist, a friend of Munch. Embittered by what he regarded as Tulla’s betrayal, he portrayed her as an evil murderess.

Ashes, 1894

Munch relentlessly pursued Women up to his forties when he suffered a severe psychological episode, compounded by alcoholism and brawling, that resulted in a period of confinement in a mental health hospital in Denmark during which he received electro-convulsive treatment. Choosing to remain unmarried because of the scars of his family experiences, his relationships with Women often foundered in anxiety, a lack of attachment, mistrust, sometimes loathing, and loss. While Munch has been described by some commentators as misogynist, it is perhaps more accurate to say that his particular dilemma, shaped by his lifelong chronic anxiety, lay in the subject of Women as mystery. "Woman in her many-sidedness", he wrote, "is a mystery to man.”

Jealousy, 1895

Munch's art represents Women in the light of trauma. Seduction itself is a source of anxiety to him; in Ashes, sexual satisfaction brings only remorse, and Jealousy and Separation are expressed as terrifying and depressing events. A common image is the need to assuage or support the battered male head, which could be interpreted as a subliminal evocation of his difficult birth.

Separation, 1896

In another iconic image, Madonna, of which he painted various versions between 1893 and 1902, the Woman overtly offers her ecstatic sexuality and yet remains inaccessible. He is the hopeful but perpetually disappointed and wizened fetus in the lower left frame of the painting, while she is the Mother Goddess, a disdainful, yet powerfully seductive and desirable object. Once again, in the context of Munch’s personal neurosis, the inaccessibility of Women becomes for him an occasion for terror.

Madonna, 1895

It was only following recovery from his major psychological episode that Munch was to give up the anxiety-laden subject matter so central to his work and into which he poured his feelings, life experiences, and personal relationships; thereafter, he began painting everyday subjects with the same vigorous brushwork and expressionistic colours as before.



Love and Pain (The Vampire), 1895 - 1902