Artist in Focus - Rossetti's Muses

Dante Gabriel Rossetti, a founding member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, was a man whose work often drew from his own literary aspirations and inspirations, marked rather pointedly by the addition of ‘Dante’ to his name in honour of Dante Alighieri, of Inferno fame. The subjects of his paintings were often inspired by women of literary and mythological stories and often shared features like a prominent jawline and angular features as well as being statuesque and strong. Rossetti’s artworks were, like many of his peers, so focused on the female models that some art historians have claimed the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was entirely reliant on women.

Rossetti’s most notable muses were all from working class backgrounds, including his wife Elizabeth Siddal who, like her husband, was also a poet and artist. Siddal was a muse for many Pre-Raphaelite painters, including modelling for Millais’ iconic Ophelia and first modelling for Rossetti in 1851, nine years before they married. Rossetti made hundreds of preliminary sketches and paintings of his wife before she died of a laudanum overdose. After her death he used her as a muse for the iconic Beata Beatrix, which depicts the death of Beatrice in Dante Alighieri’s La Vita Nuova. In a romantic gesture he buried a handwritten book of his poetry with her although he apparently regretted his decision and had her grave exhumed, the book disinfected and then published six months later

After Elizabeth’s death, Rossetti’s new muse became Jane Morris, the wife of his peer and friend William Morris. Their affair became overt to all, including William, as Rossetti and Jane lived in a house together, partially funded by Morris, whilst he was researching in Iceland. Jane posed for him until 1881, a year before his death, although their romance quickly dwindled after she discovered his reliance on sedatives. During the time between his wife’s death and his own, Rossetti’s other muse, and arguably mistress, Fanny Cornforth, moved in to his Chelsea home. According to her memoir, they met at a fete celebrating Florence Nightingale and he was astounded by her titian red hair which became a prevalent feature in many Pre-Raphaelite works. Fanny’s portrayal in paintings was markedly different to his previous muses, she was depicted as voluptuous and sensual and many speculated that she, too, was his lover. In Rossetti’s dying months Fanny was kicked out of the house by his family but he insisted on taking care of her, paying for a house nearby for her to live in as well as gifting her several paintings, insisting that her legal ownership was well-documented.

The unconventional relationships between Rossetti and his muses, whether wives or mistresses, is explored at the Tate Britain Exhibition, running from April to September 2023. This exhibition includes the largest collection of Rossetti’s works in twenty years and is the most comprehensive exhibition of Siddal’s in thirty.