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. …
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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.
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:
To the ancient Greeks, they were tears of the gods. My grandmother’s akoya pearls are the most precious piece of jewelry I own, beside my wedding ring. Apart from their sentimental value, they have a gorgeous lustre and have aged quite well. Pearls appear front and center in Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Belcolore: And in Fanny…
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From The Life and Letters of Sir John Everett Millais by his son John Guille Millais. Chapter II: Pre-Raphaelitism: Its Meaning and Its History In this chapter I propose to devote myself exclusively to the history and progress of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, with which Millais was so intimately connected in the early years of his…
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On the internet, ask and ye shall receive. In my previous post I said that I wanted to learn more about Keomi Gray and, happily, I have. First, my friend Cathy Baker directed me to a few links last night: On Find A Grave, Keomi is listed as Keomi Gray Bonnett, which let me know…
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In my previous post about The Beloved, I mentioned the woman in the right area of the painting: For the woman on the right, Rossetti used a model named Keomi Gray. I’ve desperately searched for more information about her, but it’s quite difficult. There doesn’t seem to be much written about her and if anyone…
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To celebrate the launch of their new blog, Thames & Hudson are offering a copy of ‘Pre-Raphaelite Drawing’ as a prize for the best caption to Frederick Sandys’ famous ‘Medea’. You can read Thames & Hudson’s recent blog post on ‘The Poetry of Drawing’ exhibition which is currently at BMAG here: www.tandhblog.co.uk/2011/03/the-poetry-of-drawing/ Post your caption…
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Medea by Frederick Sandys Sandys portrays Medea as a powerful beauty and I especially love the abalone shell included among the other details of the painting. She’s wearing a coral necklace mentioned in my post Rossetti and his baubles and in these posts at The Beautiful Necessity: The Pre-Raphaelites and “Hippie” Beads and Hippie Beads…
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I have a weakness for art inspired by literary and mythological themes, so I can not resist comparing Evelyn De Morgan’s Helen of Troy with the Pre-Raphaelite artists that came before her. I’ve written a bit about Eveylyn De Morgan before in this post. She was heavily influenced by Burne-Jones and was inspired by…
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Although Frederick Sandys was not a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, he is among those artists often described as Pre-Raphaelite because of their similarity in style. Sandys lived with Dante Gabriel Rossetti for a time in Rossetti’s home in Cheyne Walk. In another post (Helen of Troy) I mentioned that Rossetti accused Sandys of plagiarism. The model for Love’s…
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This page is a work in progress. If you have a sighting to add, please post a comment or post on the Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood Facebook page, send me a tweet on twitter to @beguilingmerlin, or email stephaniepina@lizziesiddal.com. I love Inspector Morse mysteries. If you are not familiar with them, it was a wonderful a television…
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Magic and witchcraft can be depicted as ugly and dark in art as in William Blake’s Hecate, but Pre-Raphaelite artists embrace its beauty and mysticism. Look at her skirt. Her magical symbols, I think, are Celtic in origin. If anyone has any info on them, please post a comment.
Helen’s beautiful face was said to have launched a thousand ships. She was the wife of Menelaus, the king of Sparta. Of course, the fact that she was married didn’t bother Paris at all; he was a married man as well. But Paris had…
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These pre-shrunk Gildan brand shirts feature an image of Elizabeth Siddal at an easel, painted by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Buy yours today! Thank you for supporting PreRaphaeliteSisterhood.com. You can also follow on Twitter and Facebook.