Part of a trio of paintings of a male couple, Doves by the Sea II was widely disseminated when the story of Charles first became public. In this piece, we see Carl and Jonathan kiss, a clear sign of the nature of their relationship. It also marks the beginning of Charles' more literary inscriptions, which migrate from purely descriptive to something bordering poetry.
Inscription (from reverse):
Those lips I gazed upon. He had them! Captured by his own.
