Cover illustration for the second volume 'Legends of Iceland' written by George Powell and Eirikur Magnusson, published by Richard Bentley in 1866. A letter from Zwecker to Powell indicates that Powell paid nine guineas for the watercolour and that a photograph was taken of it and sent to Mr. Pearson, who was the engraver in charge of the book illustrations. According to the handwritten Powell inventory this female personification of Iceland was commissioned from Powell's own design
The figure is known as 'Fjallkonan' or The Lady of the Mountain. It was drawn to specifications provided by Eiríkur Magnússon. In a letter to Jón Sigurðsson (11 April 1866), Magnússon described the crown of ice with flames indicating the woman as a representation of Iceland. On her shoulder sits a raven, common throughout Iceland and prominent in Icelandic traditional culture and beliefs. The runestaves represent the country's history and literature.
Book illustration, the mythical figure of 'Iceland', nocturne. A young woman, seated on a rock, holds a scroll in her left hand and a decorative sword in her right hand. She has long, blonde hair, a halo, blue eyes and wears a blue dress with gold hems. A crow (raven?) sits on her right shoulder. In the foreground sea calmly breaks against the rock and carries a goblet and two scrolls, one of the latter inscribed with runes. In the background are snow-capped mountains and a night sky with stars, seagull and half moon. Painted in fine detail with some use of body colour.
