I am thrilled to announce that Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood T Shirts are now available for purchase. Please visit the T-Shirt page to order. Shirts are priced at $20, plus shipping charges. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time. It’s fun and if you purchase one, I hope you’ll email me a picture … Read more
My husband is in the hospital again. Still dealing with the repercussions from his accident last May. It’s more serious this time. An infection has spread to the bone. Let me use the technical term, just so I can feel the weight of it: Osteomyelitis. It’s serious and scary, but we are remaining hopeful and … Read more
Before Christmas, Kirsty Stonell Walker sent me her revised manuscript of Stunner to read. People, it is awesome. I’m not sure when the projected release date will be, but as soon as it is out I urge all Pre-Raphaelite enthusiasts to snap up a copy. Stunner is the first full-length biography of Pre-Raphaelite artist’s model … Read more
There are several things I’d like to share with you today: I’ve been reading some of Rossetti’s notes in The Collected Works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti and I like this insight on his opinion of color: Thinking in what order I love colours, found the following:– 1. Pure light warm green. 2. Deep gold-colour. 3. … Read more
If you are reading Mortal Love along with us, you may have noticed that part one of the book is titled The Green Girl. It strikes me as such a perfect phrase when dealing with anything that even remotely alludes to the Pre-Raphaelites. This post isn’t really about Mortal Love, I’ll save that for later. … Read more
I hope you’ll like the October selection for the Pre-Raphaelite Reading Project. It’s time for a modern book. For those of you new to the reading project, we alternate classic books with modern ones. Mortal Love is an unusual novel by Elizabeth Hand. This is the first time I’ve selected a book that I’ve read … Read more
Since finishing Le Morte d’Arthur, I’ve been refreshing my memory and reading all the references I can find regarding Pre-Raphaelite art and Arthurian influences. My first choice was a William Morris biography that I happily stumbled across at a flea market a few years ago. There’s one paragraph in particular that always stands out to … Read more
Synopsis: “London, 1876. The painter Amos Roselli is in love with his life-long friend and model, the beautiful Daphne – and she with him – until one day she is discovered by another man, a powerful and wealthy industrialist. What will happen when Daphne realises she has sacrificed her happiness to a loveless marriage? What … Read more
I wanted to share this link with you because I know you will adore this blog as much as I do. It’s written by Kirsty Walker, who I deeply respect and admire. Kirsty is the author of the first full length biography of Pre-Raphaelite model Fanny Cornforth, which she is currently revising. Her new blog, … Read more
The infamous Borgia clan is once again generating interest thanks to a new series on Showtime. One of my favorite art history blogs, Three Pipe Problem, has an excellent post about the Borgia family and the new series. I missed last night’s debut, so I cannot offer an opinion on the production yet, but … Read more
I’ve added a new addition to the Unexpected Pre-Raphaelite Sightings list. The Woman in White starring Tara Fitzgerald and Justine Waddell. Based on the book by Wilkie Collins, this adaptation makes several changes to the story but I still enjoyed it. Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Beata Beatrix is shown and discussed. The exhumation of his … Read more
A Scene from “As You Like It” by Walter Howell Deverell The Painting: Deverell took great pains with As You Like It. Lucinda Hawksley describes the outdoor modeling session in her book Essential Pre-Raphaelites saying “According to legend, the models were expected to stand in a Surrey wood — in all weathers — for hours … Read more
I am beginning a series of posts that focuses on Pre-Raphaelite representations of Shakespeare’s works. I felt the perfect painting to start with is Walter Howell Deverell’s Twelfth Night, as it is one of the earliest Pre-Raphaelite pictures based upon a Shakespearian play and also happens to be the first painting that includes Elizabeth Siddal … Read more
The Blessed Damozel, painted by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, is based on a poem by Dante Gabriel Rossetti of the same name. Rossetti was nineteen when he wrote The Blessed Damozel, which tells the tale of two lovers who will one day be reunited in heaven. “The blessed damozel leaned out From the gold bar of … Read more
Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s first published illustration was The Maids of Elfen-Mere, drawn to illustrate a ballad by William Allingham titled “The Maids of Elphin-Mere”. The Rossetti Archive includes it in their collection note: “DGR’s illustration was made for Allingham’s ballad “The Maids of Elfin-Mere”, which was published in The Music Master, A Love Story, and … Read more
Painted in 1901, The Keepsake by Kate Bunce is based on Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s poem The Staff and Scrip. The Staff and Scrip is a heroic and romantic tale of a pilgrim who finds himself in a land ruled by Queen Blanchelys. The pilgrim is shocked by the state of this land and is told … Read more
Jane Burden: How a Pre-Raphaelite model changed our image of angels Prof. Roger Homan considers how the Pre-Raphaelite model Jane Burden changed our collective mental image of the appearance of angels. I found this to be an interesting post, although the author does mention Jane’s appearing in Burne-Jones’s The Beguiling of Merlin, when the model … Read more
It pains me that Christina Rossetti was completely overlooked and left out of the miniseries Desperate Romantics. Since the program has brought new visitors to my site, I thought I would share one of her poems, Goblin Market. Also, for those interested, you can download a free audiobook of Goblin Market here. Goblin Market by … Read more
This is the first work Millais painted as a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Lorenzo and Isabella is based on Keats’ poem Isabella, or, the Pot of Basil. I’ve touched on the poem briefly in this post about William Holman Hunt’s painting of the same subject. Basically, Isabella and Lorenzo fall in love. Her brothers … Read more
I recently saw an interview with Jane Campion on Charlie Rose and was interested as she discussed her latest film, Bright Star. Based on the three-year romance between John Keats and Fanny Brawne, which was cut short by Keats’ untimely death at age 25. Keats was an inspiration to the Pre-Raphaelites. His poem The Eve … Read more
The Pre-Raphaelites and the artists they inspired are known for their attention to detail. While their attention to nature is perhaps a more widely known aspect of Pre-Raphaelite art, their meticulous representation of clothing does not escape my notice. Of course, there are many examples to choose from since Pre-Raphaelite art is rich with drapery … Read more
Via The Press Association: A portrait previously owned by LS Lowry of an “enthralling” artists’ muse will go under the hammer next month. The 1860 drawing of Annie Miller by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882) is expected to fetch between £200,000 and £300,000. Annie Miller (1835-1925) was a striking model from a humble background, who “enthralled … Read more
St. George and the Princess Sabra was painted by Dante Gabriel Rossetti in 1862. This was the last work that his wife, Lizzie Siddal, posed for before her death. I find myself searching her face, as if it were a photograph, looking for signs of what was to occur days later: her overdose of laudanum. The … Read more
The tale of the Borgias captivated Rossetti. Lucrezia Borgia (1480-1519) was the member of a ruthless political family. Her father Rodrigo Borgia eventually became Pope Alexander VI. We see her in Rossetti’s painting washing her hands after the poisoning of her husband, Duke Alfonso Bisceglie. Rossetti had a tendency to paint women’s arms and necks … Read more
Having just mentioned this poem in the post La Pia de Tolomei, I found it fitting to choose Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s poem Sunset Wings as the poem of the week. According to this page at the Rossetti Archive, the poems most striking images focus on a flock of starlings that DGR noticed during his sojourn … Read more