This painted Sphinx from Mars is a portrait of Armide, a ballet character from Le Pavillon d'Armide based on a story by Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier (1811- 1872). Several years after painting this artwork, Coetzee added the adjustable Perspex plates to create A Sphinx from Mars. This is part of a series combining space and mythology including Anubis and Betelgeuse Astronaut