One of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s last paintings shows Jane Morris in a world of green. She’s surrounded by foliage, seemingly lost in a day dream while her book lies ignored on her lap. Her hand loosely holds a honeysuckle. Jane is clad in a similar dress to the one she wore in Proserpine, where she is … Read more
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
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
In two previous posts, I talked about the marriages of Dante Gabriel Rossetti and John Ruskin. Here’s a photograph of both men, courtesy of George P. Landow and the Victorian web. Ruskin looks absolutely frightening with that stick! June 29, 1863 Albumen Print Downey made made this double portrait during the same session at Rossetti’s … Read more
I love to search the paintings of Dante Gabriel Rossetti because he adds so many details and symbolism. It’s hard not to notice this beautiful spiral-shaped hair clip that seems to have migrated from one canvas to another: A Christmas Carol: The Bower Meadow: Mariana: Grace at The Beautiful Neccessity also has a post about … Read more
The saga of Maria Zambaco is one of the most melodramatic in Pre-Raphaelite lore, which is remarkable given the abundance of tumult that surrounded the Brotherhood. Born into a wealthy Anglo-Greek family, Maria was an accomplished artist who studied under sculptor Auguste Rodin. She also appears in works by several Pre-Raphaelite artists, including Sir Edward Burne-Jones, who … Read more
Mid-Victorian London, 1848: twenty-year old Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Holman Hunt, 21, and John Everett Millais, 19, bond over their artistic passions and their shared disdain for the Royal Academy, believing that British art has become predictable and formulaic. Eager to forge a new direction, they are also intrigued to find inspiration from a time period … Read more
Well over a century-and-a-half has passed since her death, yet Elizabeth Siddal still commands attention through her art, poetry, and the Pre-Raphaelite works she appears in. As artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s muse, Lizzie was a powerful influence on his early Pre-Raphaelite works. She then boldly made the move from model to artist and embarked on a career … Read more
Today marks the birth of the woman who has had a deep and lasting influence on my life. Despite never actually meeting her, I know her face as well as my own. Through her art, poetry, and the Pre-Raphaelite works she appears in, Elizabeth Siddal has the power to captivate. The story of her life … Read more
Christina Rossetti Sister of Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti and critic William Michael Rossetti. A talented poet in her own right, Christina can be seen in several early works of her brother’s, namely The Girlhood of the Virgin Mary and Ecce Ancilla Domini. Read more. Elizabeth Siddal Lizzie helped shape the concept of a “Pre-Raphaelite … Read more
Marie Spartali Stillman’s beauty is apparent in works by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Sir Edward Burne-Jones, but her talent shines in the exquisite Pre-Raphaelite paintings she herself created. Marie was the daughter of a wealthy Greek cotton merchant; both artistic talent and beauty were family traits. Artists Maria Zambaco and Aglaia Ionides were her cousins. … Read more
The saga of Maria Zambaco is one of the most melodramatic in Pre-Raphaelite lore, which is remarkable given the abundance of tumult that surrounded the Brotherhood. Born into a wealthy Anglo-Greek family, Maria was an accomplished artist who studied under sculptor Auguste Rodin. She also appears in works by several Pre-Raphaelite artists, including Sir Edward … Read more
Modeling rescued young Annie Miller from extreme poverty. After her mother’s death, Annie and her sister were raised by their aunt and uncle. Accounts of her childhood describe it as working class and “filthy.” By her teens, she was a servant and her family struggled to make ends meet. Pre-Raphaelite artist William Holman Hunt discovered … Read more
In 1857, Rossetti and a small group of artists that included William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones were working in Oxford, painting the Union Murals for the local debating society. One night they attended a performance by actors from the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Seated in the gallery below were Jane Burden and her sister. Rossetti … Read more
When Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti spotted Alexa Wilding on a busy street, he immediately approached her to sit for him. A tall, pretty girl, she feared impropriety and didn’t show up at the agreed time. Never one to admit defeat, Rossetti visited her and her mother to set their fears at rest. From then … Read more
First, A Little Background Since its inception in the late 18th century, the Royal Academy was the hub of the art world in England – a behemoth that dominated British art. Like many aspects of Victorian society, the art world was stolid and rigid and allowed little room for those who did not go along … Read more
Pre-Raphaelite painter and poet Elizabeth Siddal began her career as an artist’s model In 1849, Elizabeth Siddal was working at Mrs. Tozer’s hat shop when she was introduced to the artists of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. One anecdote states she was discovered by Walter Deverell, who painted her as Viola/Cesario in his painting Twelfth Night. Another tale says … Read more
Fanny Cornforth was born Sarah Cox, the daughter of a blacksmith in Steyning. Later, she took on the name Fanny in honor of a younger sister who had died at a young age. Though she appears in some of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s most majestic works, Fanny Cornforth is one of the most criticized and misunderstood … Read more
Kirsty Stonell Walker’s Light and Love: The Extraordinary Developments of Julia Margaret Cameron and Mary Hillier intriguingly explores how the gift of a camera transformed the lives of two women, one the lady of the house, the other her maid. Together they created a unique body of work that influenced countless generations of photographers. Julia … Read more
Every Friday since the 25th of January, 2013, I have posted a silly wombat-related photo on social media as a fun tribute to one of my favorite artists, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and his undeniable passion for these delightful marsupials. You may think it’s a ridiculous thing to do and in the grand scheme of things, … Read more
It would have been a perfect plot for a 1960s Hammer horror film: on the death of his wife, a poet places a treasured manuscript of his poems in her casket. Years later he has a new muse and love, a woman who had been a friend to them both. So he ghoulishly engineers his … Read more
This post contains spoilers from Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. Please do not read further if you have not seen the film yet. You have been kindly warned. Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood captures the vivid technicolor dream of 1969, a free-wheeling world in the midst of change. Sharon Tate and the … Read more
“Rossetti was the planet around which we revolved, we copied his way of speaking. All beautiful women were “stunners” with us. Wombats were the most beautiful of God’s creatures.”–artist Valentine Cameron Prinsep Wombat Friday began in 2013 when, in a moment of frivolity, I posted several pictures of wombats with cake and books in a … Read more
Hey, kids, it’s my favourite day of the week! Wombat Friday! Artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti said it best: “The Wombat is a Joy, a Triumph, a Delight, a Madness!” I quote his statement a lot because, let’s face it, I spend an inordinate amount of time posting those sassy little marsupials on social media. Rossetti’s … Read more
I recently visited The Rise of Every Day Design: The Arts and Crafts Movement in Britain and America, which is currently running at The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas. Look for my review of the exhibit in the next issue of The Pre-Raphaelite Society Newsletter of the United States, available to members … Read more