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December 23, 2023

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THE PAINTINGS OF PRE-RAPHAELITE ARTIST DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI: LEGENDS AND
STUNNERS

 * Author:
   Amanda Severn
 * Updated:
   Oct 21, 2023 7:31 PM EDT




Rossetti, self-portrait as a young man, 1847

ABCGallery from Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain); adapted in Canva


ROSSETTI AND THE PRE-RAPHAELITE BROTHERHOOD

In the beginning, there were three members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
Three young and idealistic artists came together to create works of art that
reflected their admiration for the honesty and simplicity of early Christian
artists.




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They wanted their art to inform and inspire, and they chose subjects from
history, legend, and the Bible, with a fair spattering of morality thrown in.
The three founding members of this movement were Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William
Holman Hunt, and John Everett Millais.

Over time the brotherhood came to include the sculptor Thomas Woolner, artists
James Collinson and Frederic George Stephens, and Rossetti's brother, the writer
William Michael Rossetti. These were the official members, but as the movement
grew, other artists began to emulate the ideas of the original group, and the
paintings of Edward Coley Burne Jones and many other similar Victorian artists
are now commonly referred to as being 'Pre-Raphaelite.'







DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI (1828–1882)

Dante Gabriel Rossetti, brother of the poet Christina Rossetti, was born in
London in 1828 to an Italian family. After showing early artistic ability, Dante
Gabriel entered Sass's Academy at age 13, where he stayed for four years, with
the intention of preparing for the Royal Academy Schools.




However, on graduating from the Royal Academy, Rossetti quickly tired of the
rigidly structured lessons, and soon dropped out of his classes. Still
determined to continue with his studies, he wrote to the artist Ford Madox
Brown, whose work he greatly admired, and asked him if he might become his
pupil.




The older man was flattered by the request and began tutoring Rossetti in 1848.
Although the pupil-teacher relationship was to be short-lived, it was
nonetheless the beginning of a friendship that would last until Rossetti's
death.




Later that same year, Rossetti saw and admired William Holman Hunt's painting
The Eve of St. Agnes at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. He spoke to Hunt
about his work, and it soon became clear that as artists, they had much in
common. Rossetti, flighty and mercurial as ever, decided to abandon Madox Brown
and set up a studio with Holman Hunt instead.






With the £70 Hunt received for The Eve of St. Agnes, the pair rented a large,
bare room in Cleveland Street, and Rossetti commenced work on The Girlhood of
Mary Virgin and Ecce Ancilla Domini, which were his earliest contributions to
the Pre-Raphaelite movement.

'The Girlhood of St Mary Virgin' by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, signed and dated PRB
1849. Now owned by the Tate Gallery in London.

Image courtesy of Wiki Commons







THE GIRLHOOD OF ST MARY VIRGIN BY DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI, 1849

This was to be Rossetti's first major oil painting, and also the first to be
exhibited with the mysterious initials PRB, which stood for 'Pre-Raphaelite
Brotherhood.' Rossetti's mother and his sister Christina served as models, and
the picture is full of symbolic references to the life of Christ.




Mary and her mother, St Anne, are shown embroidering a lily onto crimson cloth,
whilst a serious-looking child-angel stands behind a vase with another lily (the
symbol of purity) balanced on a pile of books bearing the names of virtues such
as 'fortitude', 'faith', 'hope' and 'prudence'.




Beside the books lies a seven-leaved palm branch and a seven-thorned briar tied
with a scroll inscribed tot dolores tot gaudia ( so many sorrows, so many joys).
Also in the background, there is a cross twined with ivy, a crimson cloak, and a
haloed dove.




Rossetti, at this point in his career, still required guidance from Madox Brown
and Holman Hunt on matters regarding technique and perspective. Even with their
assistance, there is still an awkward feel to the overall composition.




'Ecce Ancilla Domini' by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Currently in the Tate Gallery
London.

Image courtesy of Wiki Commons





ECCE ANCILLA DOMINI BY DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI, 1850

Rossetti's second Pre-Raphaelite picture, exhibited at the Portland Gallery, was
the object of sharp criticism, and Rossetti took the negative comments so badly
that he decided against exhibiting in London again.





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ADAM WAS NOT THE FIRST HUMAN, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS US SO

Christina Rossetti served as a model for the Virgin Mary, and the lily
embroidered on red cloth, last seen in the painting The Girlhood of Mary Virgin,
features in the foreground, symbolizing Mary's purity. The angel hovering before
her has flames coming from his feet and is holding yet another lily.




The haloed dove flying through the window looks a little out of place, and the
strange perspective, as well as the awkward composition, give us further clues
as to Rossetti's relative youth and inexperience.




After a long wait for a buyer, the picture was eventually sold to a Mr.
McCracken from Belfast, one of the first patrons of the Pre-Raphaelites.




'The Wedding of St George and the Princess Sabra', by Dante Gabriel Rossetti,
1857. This watercolour is currently owned by the Tate Gallery in London.

Image courtesy of Wiki Commons.


THE WEDDING OF ST GEORGE AND THE PRINCESS SABRA BY DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI, 1857

After completing The Girlhood of Mary Virgin, and Ecce Ancilli Domini, Rossetti
and Hunt set off on holiday to France and Belgium, where they were able to visit
galleries and museums. On their return, both Rossetti and Hunt attempted some
landscapes, but Rossetti quickly gave up and began searching about instead, for
some other subject matter.






Eventually, working in watercolor, and on a small scale, he began a series of
paintings based on medieval legends and on the story of Dante's Inferno, a
classical Italian text.

This painting illustrates a scene from the wedding of St George and the Princess
Sabra and is one of the delicious, jewel-bright water-colors from this early
period. The Arthurian legends and other medieval romances were to inspire many
of Rossetti's finest pictures, and this is no exception.






Here the Princess Sabra is cutting off a lock of her hair to give as a favor to
St George. The dragon's head, complete with lolling tongue lies beside them in a
crate, and the saint is seated in full armor, embracing his kneeling bride. Jane
Burden sat as the model for Princess Sabra, and Rossetti painted the picture as
a gift for his friend, William Morris, who eventually became Jane Burden's
husband.




'Dantis Amor' by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1859, Tate Gallery, London.

Image courtesy of Wiki Commons





DANTIS AMOR BY DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI, 1859

In the spring of 1850, while shopping with his mother, the artist Walter
Deverell chanced upon Elizabeth Siddal working in a milliner's shop. He asked
her to pose as Viola for his painting, Twelfth Night. Soon she became a favorite
model for the Pre-Raphaelite artists and their associates, featuring perhaps
most famously as 'Ophelia' in John Everett Millais's painting of the same name.






Lizzie Siddal became the first of the Pre-Raphaelite 'stunners,' the name they
gave to the beautiful girls who became a muse, model, and occasionally mistress
or wife. The artists nicknamed her 'Guggums,' and Rossetti soon became smitten.
Despite the strict Victorian ideas prevailing at the time, Rossetti set up a
home with her, eventually marrying her in 1860.




Lizzie brought out a new, more serious side to the charismatic, fun-loving
Rossetti, and she became the model for some of his most tender, ardent images,
in particular, the paintings of Beatrice from the poems by Rossetti's Italian
namesake, Dante.




Dantis Amor, pictured above, was completed in 1859 and was originally painted to
decorate a cabinet at the Red House, home of the newly married William and Jane
Morris. The painting shows Beatrice in the lower right-hand corner with the head
of Christ encircled in the upper left-hand corner. An angel holding a sundial
and a bow and arrow stand between the two.




'Beata Beatrix' by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1864-70. Presently in the Tate
Gallery, London.

Image courtesy of Wiki Commons.





BEATA BEATRIX BY DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI, 1864–70

Rossetti painted this hauntingly beautiful picture as a memorial to his wife,
Elizabeth Siddal who died in 1862 of a laudanum overdose. He had in fact begun
the painting at a much earlier date but took it up again in 1864, and finally
completed it in 1870. It is an intensely visionary image which represents the
death of Beatrice in Dante's Vita Nuova, a classic Italian work written by
Rossetti's namesake.






Beatrice is shown seated in a death-like trance, while a bird, the messenger of
death, drops a poppy into her hands. The figures of Dante and another
representing Love stand in the background, while the image of the famous
Florence bridge, the Ponte Vecchio stretches across the distance between them.

Elizabeth Siddal's death occurred while Rossetti was away from the house, dining
with Algernon Swinburn. Since giving birth to a still-born daughter a year
earlier, Lizzie had suffered very poor health and was in a deep depression which
had led her to become increasingly dependent on laudanum, an opium-based
medication.






Although the marriage was not always a happy one towards the end, Rossetti felt
his wife's death very keenly, and no doubt he felt considerable guilt about her
final hours. The flower in the painting is perhaps symbolic of the opium poppy
from which laudanum is derived.

'Lady Lilith' by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1866-68. Delaware Art Museum.

courtesy Wiki Commons







LADY LILITH BY DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI, 1866–68

Rossetti had idealized and adored Lizzie Siddall, and it is entirely likely that
he may not have pursued a physical relationship with her until after their
marriage, despite their sharing a home.

He was, however, very attracted to the opposite sex, and it is known that he had
some mistresses throughout his adult life. Women were his main source of
inspiration both in poetry and art, and this painting of Lady Lilith seems to
tell its own tale of temptation and seduction.






Lilith, the subject of this painting, is described in Judaic literature as the
first wife of Adam. Here she is depicted as a powerful seductress, an iconic,
Amazonian female with long, flowing red hair. Rossetti repeats the poppy motif
that he used in Beata Beatrix, the flower of opium-induced slumber, and Lilith
holds a mirror in her hand to symbolize vanity.




'Monna Vanna' by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1866. Tate Gallery, London.

Image courtesy of Wiki Commons.





MONNA VANNA BY DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI, 1866

Alexa Wilding was the model for this exceptionally sumptuous painting. The name
'Monna Vanna' occurs in the poems of both Dante and Boccaccio but has no
specific connotation here. Rossetti considered this to be one of his finest
works, and many believe that he never surpassed it. Every detail of the Monna
Vanna, from her coral beads to the rich brocade of her dress, the tawny feathers
in her fan, to the pearl decorations in her hair, has been lovingly and
painstakingly painted.






The 1860s and 1870s were a period of intense activity for Rossetti, and many of
his large canvasses were created during these two decades. The high-minded
ideals of his youth that led him to form the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood were now
behind him, and instead, he bent his energies toward creating his amazing images
of beautiful women.

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'La Ghirlandata' by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1871-74, Guildhall Art Gallery.

Image courtesy of Wiki Commons

'Veronica Veronese' by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1872. Now the property of the
Bancroft Collection, Wilmington Society of Fine Arts, Delaware, USA.

Image courtesy of Wiki Commons.
1 / 2


LA GHIRLANDATA AND VERONICA VERONESE BY DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI

Alexa Wilding was one of Rossetti's favorite models, and she appears again and
again in his portraits of beautiful women, or 'stunners' as he liked to call
them. Red-haired Alexa is shown in both paintings playing a musical instrument.
In La Ghirlandata it is a harp, and in Veronica Veronese, it is a violin which
is hanging on the wall before her. Both paintings have a dream-like quality
about them, and the green velvet gown worn in both contrasts beautifully with
the rich auburn tones of Alexa's hair.






Veronica Veronese was painted as a commission for F.R.Leyland, and Rossetti
wrote to him describing it; ' The girl is in a sort of passionate reverie, and
is drawing her hand listlessly along the strings of a violin which hangs against
the wall, while she holds the bow with her other hand as if arrested by the
thought of the moment when she was about to play. In color, I shall make the
picture a study of varied greens.'




'Annie Miller' by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1860.

Courtesy of Wiki Commons





ANNIE MILLER BY DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI, 1860

The artist William Holman Hunt, one of the founding members of the
Pre-Raphaelite movement, and a close associate of Rosetti's, also fell for the
charms of a beautiful redhead. In his case, the lady in question was Annie
Miller. With typical high-minded intentions, Hunt attempted both to reform the
temptress, and also to marry her, but she was having none of it, and Hunt
remained a bachelor until 1865 when he married Fanny Waugh. This wonderfully
detailed pencil sketch by Rossetti gives us some idea of Annie Miller's beauty
and also gives us a clue as to Rossetti's own feelings towards her. Rossetti, in
fact, conducted a secret affair with Miss Miller while his friend Holman Hunt
was traveling abroad, and this temporary fixation on another lover left Lizzie
Siddall devastated.




'Fanny Cornforth', 1869 by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Graphite on paper. Honolulu
Academy of Arts.

Courtesy of Wiki Commons


FANNY CORNFORTH BY DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI, 1869

In October 1862, the widowed Rossetti moved from Blackfriars to Cheyne walk in
Chelsea, London. It was here that one of his earlier conquests, the splendidly
forthright, no-nonsense cockney charmer, Fanny Cornforth re-entered his life. He
had first met her in 1858, and now she was to provide him with the solace that
he needed after his wife, Lizzie's premature death. Fanny became his model, his
mistress and his housekeeper, and their relationship lasted until shortly before
his death in 1882 at the age of 53.




This early sketch of Fanny gives us a hint of her cheeky and impetuous nature.
There's something impudent in her gaze and the curve of her mouth.

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'Proserpine' by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1877. Manchester City Art Gallery.

Courtesy Wiki Commons

Jane Morris photographed by John R Parsons, 1890. Courtesy Wiki Commons

1 / 2


JANE MORRIS

Jane Burden married Rossetti's friend William Morris in 1859. She was introduced
to Morris by Rossetti and Edward Burne Jones who had both used her as a model
during the painting of murals for the Oxford Union in 1857. Dark-haired and
willowy, Jane epitomized the brooding good looks of a typical Pre-Raphaelite
'stunner'. After the death of his wife Lizzie Siddal, Rossetti frequently turned
to the Morrises for companionship, and over time Jane Morris became a favorite
model as well as a confidante and friend. Some biographies suggest that they may
also have been lovers.

Rossetti's famous painting, Proserpine was completed in 1877, and it features
Jane holding a partially eaten pomegranate in the representation of the legend
of Proserpine who must spend part of every year in the underworld. Perhaps the
pomegranate, in this case, is also a symbol of temptation, and the time-share
nature of her relationships with Rossetti and William Morris.


THE LAST DAYS

Heavily dependant on alcohol and drugs, Rossetti rarely left the house towards
the end of his life. By the end of the 1870s, he had lost the good looks that he
had enjoyed as a handsome youth and had instead become stout, and his darkly
ringed eyes gave him a saturnine appearance. Often, his hands shook so much that
he could scarcely paint. Over the years he had filled his home with all manner
of antiques and bric-a-brac, as well as a menagerie of exotic animals including
armadillos, raccoons, and peacocks. He had a particular fondness for wombats and
even wrote a very touching poem following the death of a particular favorite.
Fanny Cornforth, his animals, his mother and sister Christina, and his loyal
friend Ford Madox Brown, were his main source of companionship in his last days.

In December 1881, following a stroke that left him partially paralyzed, he
finished his long-standing relationship with Fanny Cornforth, the cockney
'Helephant' who his friends had never accepted, and in February 1882 went to
convalesce at Birchington-on-Sea near Margate in Kent. On April 9th, Easter
Sunday, he passed away, and he is buried in the churchyard at Birchington.


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COMMENTS

Amanda Severn (author) from UK on August 11, 2012:

Thank you for visiting, Unvrso. Rossetti was a master at painting beautiful
women, and he had a way of capturing a moment of stillness that few other
artist's quite manage.

Jose Juan Gutierrez from Mexico City on August 10, 2012:

Very captivating! I got captivated by most of the paintings, especially by
"Veronica Veronese" The colors and perspective of depth are so realistic. Even
the bird in the cage seems to have come to life to me.

The bright colors and shadows used in the painting bring the picture almost to
life. One can even go into the task of abstracting the thoughts of Veronica
Veronese.

Voted beautiful!

Amanda Severn (author) from UK on October 24, 2011:

Hi Stessily, I love Rossetti's work, and I'd find it hard to pick out a
particular favourite, although I do have a soft spot for both the 'Monna Vanna'
and also 'The Wedding of Princess Sabra'. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

stessily on October 23, 2011:

Amanda Severn: Dante Gabriel Rossetti enchanted me with his distinctive style a
long time ago in childhood. My favorite is "Ecce Ancilla Domini" for the
vulnerability of Mary's facial and body language. I also love the interplay
between the stunning red hair and the green garments in "La Ghirlandata" and
"Veronica Veronese."

Amanda Severn (author) from UK on May 29, 2011:

Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Paradise7.

Paradise7 from Upstate New York on May 29, 2011:

I love Rossetti's women--that Lilith!! Awesome hub, thankyou very much for
sharing it with us.

Amanda Severn (author) from UK on March 28, 2011:

Hi Strico, thanks for commenting. Beata Beatrix is a portrait of Lizzie siddal,
painted by Rossetti after her death. She was addicted to a form of opium known
as laudunum, and she eventually took an overdose. Whether rossetti was directly
the cause of her suicide is a matter for some debate. Certainly the marriage was
a troubled one. She was a drug addict, and a semi-invalid which put a great deal
of pressure on the relationship. She had also given birth to a still-born
daughter a year before her death, and this had contributed to her depression.
Rossetti was a difficult man in some respects, but he always encouraged his wife
to write, paint, and travel.

Strico on March 27, 2011:

I love his work, even though he drove his wife to kill herself - have you
noticed that he has a thing for drawing women with ginger hair?? Oh, plus, Beata
Beatrix by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1864-70, did you know that was the girl he
drove to kill herself?? it's sad . . .

Amanda Severn (author) from UK on March 23, 2011:

Hi funmontrealgirl, if you like the Lady of Shallot paintings, you'll probably
enjoy my hub on the Arthurian paintings of the Pre-Raphaelites. Tennyson's poem
inspired some amazing pictures. Thanks for stopping by.

funmontrealgirl from Montreal on March 23, 2011:

I also like Pre-Raphaelite paintings. Especially love the ones for the Tennyson
poem, "The Lady Of Shalott"

Tricia Mason from The English Midlands on February 28, 2011:

Yes, that probably is the reason ~ but the models look beautiful anyway :)

Amanda Severn (author) from UK on February 28, 2011:

Hi Trish, I must get round to visiting the Birmingham gallery sometime. It's
just a little too far for a day trip! I know what you mean about the
Pre-Raphaelite subjects. I suspect it was easier for them to pose unsmiling,
than to keep a cheerful expression throughout the many long sittings involved
for each painting. The Impressionists, who worked much more quickly, seem to
manage happier portraits!

Tricia Mason from The English Midlands on February 26, 2011:

Lovely hub!

We are lucky enough to have a fantastic collection of Pre-Raphaelite works at
Birminghan Museum and Art Gallery.

I just wish that the subjects would smile occasionally :)

chidi4christ on January 07, 2011:

has anyone seen the latest painting" the birth of metropolis"? if you could let
Barak Obama hear this,his life will never remain the same. Click here for
details:http://seatedchristianarts.blogspot.com/

Amanda Severn (author) from UK on January 05, 2011:

Hi Les Trois Chenes, the Pre-Raphaelites were once looked down on by the art
establishment, but art goes in and out of fashion, and these days the
Pre-Raphaelites are well-regarded. Museums and galleries seem to thrive on going
against public taste. Sometimes I'm amazed at the works bought with public
money!

Les Trois Chenes from Videix, Limousin, South West France on January 05, 2011:

Such a nice, informative hub. As an adolescent I liked the Pre-Rahaelites (and
still do) and I always remember Reading University lecturers scoffing at them
during my interview. How times have changed.

Amanda Severn (author) from UK on November 28, 2010:

Hi Tom, I see from your profile page that you are also a lover of art history.
Welcome to HubPages, and thank you for your comment.

tomgurney from London on November 27, 2010:

Great Hub, really good content and nice large images. I wish more people love
Rossetti!

Amanda Severn (author) from UK on July 24, 2010:

Shalini, I had never thought about it before, but now that I look at it he does
have a similar appearance. I guess that's part of Rossetti's charm, and what
makes his work so instantly recognisable.

Shalini Kagal from India on July 23, 2010:

What a great and informative hub, Amanda! Yes, there is something mysterious
about all his paintings, isn't there? And am I seeing things or are the faces of
the women rather like his own in his self portrait?

Amanda Severn (author) from UK on July 23, 2010:

Hi Hello,hello, I'm glad you enjoyed the hub. Thanks for stopping by and
commenting. It's always good to see you here.

Amanda Severn (author) from UK on July 23, 2010:

Hi Neil, the age that the Pre-Raphaelites lived through must have been just as
extraordinary in it's way as the era that we are living through right now. Art
is often reactionary, and maybe the harking back to simpler times really was a
reaction to the frenetic industrialisation that was going on around them.

Amanda Severn (author) from UK on July 23, 2010:

Hi Bob, I agree that Rossetti was not so fine a painter as his fellow
Pre-Raphaelites, Millais and Holman Hunt, but there's something moody and
mysterious about Rossetti's work that I have always found very appealing. He was
at the front of a movement that shook up the old order in Victorian art, and was
a remarkable man in many ways.

Amanda Severn (author) from UK on July 23, 2010:

Hi Pearldiver, Rossetti has always been one of my favourite artists, so I
enjoyed putting this together. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

Hello, hello, from London, UK on July 23, 2010:

A very comprehensive and great tribute to a wonderful artist. Thank you for
sharing.

knell63 from Umbria, Italy on July 22, 2010:

Hi Amanda, another really well written and informative piece, thanks too for
linking with my piece I will repay the favour.

The works of the Pre-Raphaelites comes at such a chaotic, time of change and
tries to reflect a time of peace and tranquillity, a calmer age against the
backdrop of the Industrial revolution.

diogenes on July 22, 2010:

Another lovely and informative article, Amanda. Rossetti had good taste in
women, that's for sure, at least as far as sultry sensuousness is concerned. He
was not a very great painter, but part of a very interesting time in art, a
rebellion in a way inside Victorian England...Bob

Rob Welsh from Tomorrow - In Words & NZ Time. on July 22, 2010:

Very Nice Hub Amanda and a great tribute to one of the best. Thank you for
taking the time to put this together. Excellent work. Take Care.

Amanda Severn (author) from UK on July 22, 2010:

Hi Lynda, I can see what you mean by having the same face, but I suspect that
actually Rossetti had a very mannered style of draftsmanship, and may never have
produced a completely truthful likeness. Many artists are like that. It's a bit
like having an idiosynchratic style of handwriting. There's a famous painting by
Rossetti of his mother and his sister and they also seem to have the
heavy-lidded eyes and full, cupids bow lips. Having said that I do believe that
he was very capable of obsession.

lmmartin from Alberta and Florida on July 22, 2010:

Very interesting look at this artist's work. Have you noticed that all his
female subjects seem to have the same face? I wonder who that obsession was?
Lynda






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