She is framed on both sides by two winged female torch bearers behind her, dressed in grass green robes; their wings are also green. Their bare feet standing on tiptoe can be seen in each lower corner of the picture. A twining plant that might be deadly nightshade is curled around the long handles of their torches, which burn with a deep pink flame. Both torch bearers lift their heads, exposing their fleshy throats, to gaze upwards with solemn expressions, their right hands gesturing upwards. In the background a stylised sun and moon overlap behind the deep pink eight-pointed star of Venus. This eclipse is directly above the glossy parted hair of Astarte, and is partially obscured by the black smoke from the flaming torches. Astarte was the ancient Syrian goddess of love, more malign than Venus. Her features are based on those of Jane Morris, with whom Rossetti was obsessively in love. The gilt wood frame has a plain frieze with a decorative roundel in the centre of the top side, and two decorative roundels together in the centre of the left and right sides. At the bottom of the frame is inscribed in black paint the second stanza of the poem that Rossetti wrote to accompany the painting.