Rossetti's Women of Myth

Examining the influence of mythology on the works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and why he turned away from the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

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Lady Lilith, Dante Gabriel Rossetti ca. 1866-1868, then altered in 1872–73 to show the face of Alexa Wilding. Rossetti painted another version of this painting 1867 with the original model, Fanny Cornforth. Via Wikimedia Commons.

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood rushed into the world with boyish enthusiasm in 1848, and by 1853, it was over.

Or rather, the Brotherhood itself had all but dissolved. The style its members pioneered would endure for decades, partially due to the movement’s literary ties.

Within the original Brotherhood, several of its members were writers. William Michael Rossetti was a passionate advocate for the movement, and he grew his career as an art critic while his peers were developing as painters. Even among the painters (such as William’s brother, Dante Gabriel Rossetti), there existed great enthusiasm for writing, especially poetry. Finally, one cannot forget the writers who were not themselves part of the Brotherhood but were associated with its members. Examples include the art critic and historian John Ruskin, as well as Christina Rossetti, the great Victorian poet and sister of Dante and William Rossetti. Not only did works of literature and mythology inspire the Pre-Raphaelites, but their close connections with writers served to amplify their cause and maintain the notoriety surrounding the movement.

The art of Dante Gabriel Rossetti is emblematic of the Pre-Raphaelites’ literary flair. Yet, he was the earliest member to pull back from the group after the disastrous year of 1850.