I’ve mentioned my love of mirror paintings before: Circe Offering the Cup to Odysseus, Viola, Photograph of Fanny Cornforth, Seeking out mirrors, and Preparing for the Ball. It’s understandable if we fail to notice the mirror in Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Lady Lilith (previous post about the painting here). Our eyes are naturally drawn to Lilith, … Read more
Elizabeth Siddal still continues to inspire. Dawn Marie Kresan explores multiple aspects of Siddal’s life and legacy in a newly-published poetry collection, Muse. I was unprepared for the depth of emotion Kresan’s work creates. Her expertly crafted poems touch upon Lizzie’s discovery and role as muse to the Pre-Raphaelites. Several poems include moments of Lizzie’s … Read more
Copperhead Productions and Peter Huntley Productions present THE WORLD PREMIERE OF LIZZIE SIDDAL A NEW PLAY BY JEREMY GREEN AT THE ARCOLA THEATRE from Wednesday 20 November – Saturday 21 December 2013 The Victorian art world. ‘To yearn for something – doesn’t that make life more intense?’ Lizzie Siddal, a new play about the woman … Read more
It is difficult for me to choose a painting to vote for. I have so many favorites and occasionally I find myself developing a new appreciation for a work that I wasn’t particularly fond of before. This year, I think I will vote for Elizabeth Siddal’s self portrait. It’s simple yet bold, resisting all attempts … Read more
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, photographed by Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson). Taken in 1863, the year after the death of Rossetti’s wife Lizzie.
Wednesday. August 28th, will be Edward Burne-Jones’ 180th birthday. To celebrate, visitors to the Lady Lever Art Gallery will be treated to a giant birthday cake. The cake will feature ‘Angel playing a Flageolet’, a classic example of Burne-Jones’ work from National Museums Liverpool’s Pre-Raphaelite collection. More details here…
Georgiana Burne-Jones, photographed by Frederick Hollyer. Circa 1890.
“The mirror crack’d from side to side;“The curse is come upon me,” criedThe Lady of Shalott.“ Forbidden from interacting with the world, Tennyson’s Lady of Shalott lives a life of solitude, spending her time weaving elaborate tapestries as events of the world are reflected to her through a mirror. Our modern eyes may read … Read more
Photograph of Elizabeth Siddal Rossetti. For more, visit lizziesiddal.com
There are many artistic representations of Circe. Previous posts on this blog include Circe Invidiosa and The Wine of Circe. Kirsty Stonell Walker explores Circe more deeply in her post Snowdrops, Swine and Seductive Sorceresses. I’ve been looking at mirrors in Pre-Raphaelite art in my previous posts. In Il Dolce Far Niente and Viola, the … Read more
Another favorite example of a mirror-in-the-room painting: Viola by Emma Sandys. I’ve shared this image before in The Pursuit of Pearls.
Speaking of mirrors, here’s a photograph of Fanny Cornforth. Taken in the garden of Dante Gabriel Rosstti’s home, 16 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea. 1860s.
I’m not sure why I’m so drawn to paintings with mirrors in them, but I seem to seek them out. Specifically, mirrors on walls — not mirrors as a symbol of vanity. When I see a mirror in the background, I feel as if the artist has offered me a different perspective, allowing me to … Read more
“I mean by a picture a beautiful, romantic dream of something that never was, never will be – in a light better than any light that ever shone – in a land no one can define or remember, only desire – and the forms divinely beautiful – and then I wake up, with the waking … Read more
I have a weakness for paintings with mirrors in them. Preparing for the Ball by Emma Sandys is a perfect example. According to Pre-Raphaelite Women Artists by Jan Marsh and Pamela Gerrish Nunn, this painting has been known by more than one title: Preparing for the Ball, Before the Mirror and The Lady of Shalott. … Read more
Introducing a new feature at Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood: Image of the Week. For our first selection, I thought it would be appropriate to choose a work from a female artist painting in the Pre-Raphaelite style. Lady in a Yellow Dress (c. 1870) painted by Emma Sandys.
One of my favorite details in Rossetti’s Proserpine is that her lips are painted almost the exact shade of the pomegranate. Those luscious, cupid’s bow lips and the elongated neck are indicative of Rossetti’s later style. It was a time in his life when he was plagued with mental health troubles and personal drama, yet … Read more
I seem to be bombarded by advertisements that insist there is still time to get my body “bikini ready”. If I can’t sculpt, shape or melt away areas of my body, I can visit one of the many tanning salons that seem to be popping up on every corner. Or I could take a safer … Read more
You may remember Dutch artist Margje Bijl from my previous blog posts about her project “Reflections on Jane Morris”. If you’re not familiar with her yet, let me introduce you to her. I believe she has an uncanny resemblance with Jane Morris, the Pre-Raphaelite muse who lived from 1839 till 1914. As I described in … Read more
Zephyrus The Awakener Come, thou awakener of the spirit’s ocean, Zephyr, whom to thy cloud or cave No thought can trace! speed with thy gentle motion! –Percy Bysshe Shelley “ZEPHYROS (or Zephyrus) was the god of the west wind, one of the four directionalAnemoi (Wind-Gods). He was also the god of spring, husband of Khloris (Greenery), and father of Karpos … Read more
Once again, that cheeky wombat makes his appearance. Here he is with Lizzie Siddal. Are you missing out on the wombat fun? If you’re a Twitter user, just search the hashtag #wombatfriday. Or take a look at my feed. I retweet as many Friday wombats as I can. My Twitter name is beguilingmerlin, after the … Read more
Often I find that I prefer an artist’s studies to the completed work. Perhaps it is that they are raw beginnings, a hint of what is to come. Although usually I feel that a certain emotional quality is captured in the face of the model and somehow lost in translation when recreated in oils. Head … Read more
It’s frivolous. It’s fun. Wombat Friday is growing and every week I gleefully enjoy everyone’s contributions. Apart from the silliness, I’m sort of moved by it all. It feels like a shared sense of community. Beneath a layer of wombat tomfoolery lies evidence of our shared passion and enthusiasm. Somehow we stumbled upon a sort … Read more
Pearls adorn Love’s Shadow by Frederick Sandys A pearl rosary in the background of Kate Bunce’s The Keepsake: Large pearls are strung at intervals in Helen’s necklace (Helen of Troy, Dante Gabriel Rossetti) Three pearls suspended from a brooch in The Pale Complexion of True Love by Eleanor Fortescue Brickdale: