When the British artist Frederic Leighton exhibited his iconic painting Flaming June in 1895 at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, critics assessed it as one of his finest submissions, and it quickly became a popular hit. Now, almost 130 years later, it continues to draw praise and attention as the subject of recent pieces in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Airmail, and NBC New York. The current installation at The Met, on loan from the Museo de Arte de Ponce in Puerto Rico through January 2024 due to the closure of its galleries from devastating earthquakes in 2020, represents an astonishing comeback for the painting, which was eclipsed for most of the twentieth century as other artistic styles dominated. Why are we so fascinated by Flaming June? Taking a closer look at this picture and its history can help us understand the work’s magnetism.