Inspired by artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s passion for wombats, every Friday is Wombat Friday at Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood. “The Wombat is a Joy, a Triumph, a Delight, a Madness!” ~ Dante Gabriel Rossetti
This week author Kris Waldherr shared a guest post about the Pre-Raphaelites and Venice, a subject dear to her heart and a source of inspiration for her book The Lover’s Path. In honor of the newly released e-book, The Lover’s Path shall be the theme of this week’s Wombat Friday. See my review of book here and visit LoversPathBook.com to order (several formats are available).
Above, our hero the wombat appears to be reading John L. Stoddard’s 1897 lecture on Venice:
Venice is still victorious over Time. Despite her age, the City of the Sea is fascinating still. She has successfully defied a dozen centuries ; she may perhaps defy as many more. All other cities in the world resemble one another. Venice remains unique. — John L. Stoddard
The Lover’s Path is a journey that owes inspiration to several famous lovers. As I mentioned in my previous post, these iconic couples will be familiar to devotees of Pre-Raphaelite art. Dante and Beatrice, Tristan and Isolde, Orpheus and Eurydice, and Eros and Psyche all appear frequently in Victorian and Pre-Raphaelite works. A few examples are:
‘Dante and Beatrice’, Marie Spartali Stillman‘Orpheus and Eurydice on the banks of the Styx’, John Roddam Spencer Stanhope‘Cupid Gazing at Psyche’,Sir Edward Burne-Jones‘Tristan and Isolde with the Potion’, John William Waterhouse
