I Put A Spell On You

The modeling shoot: I Put A Spell On You

All the images take place in the same white-tiled room, a narrow space with square tiles, a high window closed by a shutter, and a small dark-topped table set against the wall. The light is mostly cold and blue, spreading across the tiles and the floor; warmer amber tones instead settle on Lady Naomi's face and arms, separating the figure from the background and leaving the rest of the room in bluish shadow.

At the center of nearly every frame is an oval tray with a gilded frame, covered by a milky, opaque surface and ringed with small blue and green roses. In some shots the liquid reflects the model's face; in others it stays a flat pale patch, almost luminous. The hands, with long light-colored nails and several rings, recur constantly: resting on the edge of the table, gathered in front of the mouth, stretched toward the lens until they fill much of the frame with a nearness out of proportion to the face.

The gaze is almost always directed at the viewer, even when the head is tilted down onto the table or laid sideways against the tray. In several images the body lowers until it is level with the reflecting surface, as if watching something inside it; in others it stays upright behind the table, arms folded in front of the chest.

The clothing is dark, a black top with a pale lace sleeve on one arm, rigid bangles at the wrist, hoop earrings. In the last image an oval mirror with a gilded frame stands on the floor: the scene doubles, and the figure seated at the table with raised hands appears twice, once real and once reflected, in the same cold light of the room.