The Artist
Few artists have infused their work with such poetic intensity as Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Born in the 19th-century, he became one of the most influential figures of the Victorian era.
Rossetti helped found the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a movement dedicated to reviving the vibrancy and detail of early Renaissance art. His paintings and poetry are rich in symbolism, luminous color, and an otherworldly beauty that blends romance, mysticism, and medieval themes. He stands as a central figure of the Pre-Raphaelite art movement like John Everett Millais.
A recurring theme in Rossetti’s paintings is his vision of the ideal woman, mysterious and spiritual. Rossetti infused his female figures with layers of symbolic meaning. A pomegranate evoking fate, a halo of golden light suggesting a divine inspiration. In works like Proserpine, the model’s enigmatic look and the fruit she holds becomes a meditation on the passage between life and death.
By merging personal passion with spiritual resonance, Rossetti created an archetype that influenced Victorian beauty standards and shaped the Pre-Raphaelite movement. His women are keepers of secrets, embodiments of poetic and spiritual longing.
The slider shows some of his most wondrous artworks in order: “Proserpine”, “Veronica Veronese”, “A Christmas Carol”, “La bella mano”, “A sea spell”.
The Paintings
"Veronica Veronese" by Dante Gabriel Rossetti
“Your fingers on the violin cords
The lingering and crytallin words
Of your most dazzling mandolin songs
In my blushing heart’s lovin belongs”
This painting presents a scene that feels both suspended in time and filled with sensory richness. The woman, modeled by Alexa Wilding, sits in front of a violin, her gaze turned away from the viewer as if caught in a private exchange with her own thoughts.
One hand holds the instrument loosely, the other is near the strings, suggesting the hesitant moment before music begins.
Her gown, a deep, luminous and velvet green, echoes the tones of the surrounding drapery and wall, enveloping her in an unfolding verdant atmosphere.
This unity of color is broken by small details: the gold of the violin, the soft white and yellow flowers on the table, and a birdcage. The bird within seems mid-song, a visual counterpart to the melody the woman may be imagining.
The composition feels introspective, there is no dramatic action, only the quiet tension of inspiration forming. Rossetti’s choices make the painting less a narrative than an evocation of creative awakening: a moment where sound, color, and emotion are merging into art.
"La Bella Mano" by Dante Gabriel Rossetti
“Her Evanishing Crimson Dress and Selflesness
Her Blushing Vision who Confessed her Carefulness
My Carmen who Blessed my Consciousnes
Her Carmine Velvet Love and Professed Graciousness”
The atmosphere in this painting is warm and intimate, shaped largely by Rossetti’s use of rich red tones. The woman’s red gown illuminates the scene, its color radiating a sense of comfort and closeness. The red is soft, velvety, and layered with light, giving the whole setting a warm glow.
This warmth is amplified by the angels around her, whose delicate presence adds a sense of tenderness, almost like a family moment. The reds, paired with the gentle lighting, make the viewer feel as if they’ve stepped into a quiet, sheltered space, a private world where time slows, and every detail is bathed in affection.
The effect is heartwarming, not because of overt emotion, but because the colors and composition create a safe, harmonious atmosphere.
“La Bella Mano” is a painting filled with symbolic detail. The mirror behind her doubles the scene, suggesting both self-reflection and vanity, a classic tension in Rossetti’s work between spiritual ideals and reality.
The woman is in between earthly beauty and spiritual grace, between the everyday and the eternal. Rossetti leaves that moment suspended, so the viewer can linger in its ambiguity. You can contact me if you wish to receive the painting files by e-mailing me.
The Gallery