A painting that could have been in spired by the opera Die Frau Ohne Schatten (Woman Without a Shadow), Richard Strauss' most enigmatic and mystical work. The composer himself included Die Frau ohne Schatten, not without justification, among his best and most loved works. The libretto for the opera was written by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Writing the plot, he drew inspiration from various stories and legends that included tales from the Arabian Nights, Indian, Persian and Chinese fairytale motifs as well as tales by the Grimm brothers Raimund and Novalis. The libretto is intensely rich in symbols and mysterious hints, which, when one unravels them, also provide intellectual pleasure.