Peer Response: “Isabella; or, the Pot of Basil” (1818) The pot of basil containing the head of Isabella’s former love, Lorenzo, is integral to the narrative of John Keats’s 1818 poem, “Isabella; or, the Pot of Basil.” Four of the five paintings featured in this panel depict basil, typically growing from the pot near the grieving Isabella. In John William Waterhouse’s 1907 image, foliage, poppies, and the pot of lush basil surround Isabella. Edward Reginald Frampton’s 1867 painting features Isabella, at the feet of an altar, reaching for the full basil pot. George Henry Grenville Manton’s rendition of Keats’s poem (date unspecified) includes the basil, as well as purple flowers and poppies. John Melhuish Strudwick’s 1879 painting includes
