Sir Edward Burne-Jones’ portrait of his daughter Margaret is another example of mirror paintings that I adore. It’s not the mirror itself that I love; I am captivated by paintings whose mirrors that allow us a view of an opposite side of the room. Previous ‘mirror’ posts include Seeking out mirrors, Circe offering the cup … Read more
Anne Ryan is the lovely model whose mysterious fate we can never know. Appearing in The Huguenot and The Proscribed Royalist, her later life is hinted at in The Life and Letters of Sir John Everett Millais: Alas for Miss Ryan! her beauty proved a fatal gift: she married an ostler, and her later history … Read more
The Sleeping Model by William Powell Frith is a work that I find incredibly interesting. The tedious act of sitting for the artist has caused the model to fall asleep. Undeterred by her slumber, he paints her face as if she is awake. The mannequin sprawled in the corner behind her seems curiously alert. It’s … Read more
Note the blue and white china in the background. It was highly sought after by both Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Burne-Jones. Elizabeth Siddal casually referenced this in a brief message to Georgiana Burne-Jones: My Dear Little Georgie, I hope you intend coming over with Ned to-morrow evening like a sweetmeat, it seems so long since … Read more
I am grateful to Dave Brooks for sharing his personal photos of St. Martin’s Church in Brampton. I would love to see this in person, especially with sunlight streaming through that glorious pelican. Crafted by Burne-Jones, these are gorgeous examples of Pre-Raphaelite influenced stained glass.
Rossetti frequently used Alexa Wilding as a model. Tall and voluptuous, she appears in some of his most beautiful works. She is The Blessed Damozel, although she is frequently misidentified in that painting as Elizabeth Siddal. In Monna Vanna, Rossetti has cast Alexa in the role of a vain beauty. Her large-sleeved, opulent gown is … Read more
Ariadne was a daughter of Minos, king of Crete. She defied her father by helping his prisoner, Theseus, who had been imprisoned in the Minotaur’s labrynth. Ariadne gave him the thread that he used to find his way to freedom after killing the monster. In helping Theseus, she risked the anger and retribution of her … Read more