Biography of Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1828-1882

Paternal Family Tree: Rossetti

Dante Gabriel Rossetti is in Painters.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti lived at 16 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea.

In 1826 [his father] Gabriele Pasquale Giuseppe Rossetti (age 42) and [his mother] Frances Mary Lavinia Polidori (age 25) were married.

On 12th May 1828 Dante Gabriel Rossetti was born to [his father] Gabriele Pasquale Giuseppe Rossetti (age 45) and [his mother] Frances Mary Lavinia Polidori (age 28).

PAINTINGS/ROSSETTI/1847_Self_Portrait.jpg

1847. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 18). Self-Portrait.

In September 1847 the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was formed at 7 Gower Street, Camden [Map], the home of John Everett Millais 1st Baronet (age 18). The seven founder members were Millais, brothers Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 19) and [his brother] William Michael Rossetti (age 17), William Holman Hunt (age 20), James Collinson (age 22), Frederick George Stephens (age 19) and Thomas Woolner (age 21).

Between 1848 and 1849. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 19). "The Girlhood of Mary". Model for St Anne [his mother] Frances Mary Lavinia Polidori (age 47), model for Mary [his sister] Christina Georgina Rossetti (age 17). Note the initials PRB bottom left under his name. First exhibited at the Free Exhibition at the Hyde Park Corner Gallery. It was bought for £80 by Harriet Baring Marchioness Bath (age 43) who subsequently gifted it to her daughter Louisa Isabella Harriet Thynne (age 14).

Harriet Baring Marchioness Bath: On 3rd May 1804 she was born to Alexander Baring 1st Baron Ashburton and Ann Louisa Bingham Baroness Ashburton. On 19th April 1830 Henry Frederick Thynne 3rd Marquess of Bath and she were married. He the son of Thomas Thynne 2nd Marquess of Bath and Isabella Elizabeth Byng Marchioness Bath. On 2nd January 1892 Harriet Baring Marchioness Bath died.

Louisa Isabella Harriet Thynne: In 1834 she was born to Henry Frederick Thynne 3rd Marquess of Bath and Harriet Baring Marchioness Bath. On 29th April 1862 General Percy Feilding and she were married. She the daughter of Henry Frederick Thynne 3rd Marquess of Bath and Harriet Baring Marchioness Bath. He the son of William Feilding 6th Earl Desmond 7th Earl Denbigh and Mary Elizabeth Kitty Moreton Countess Desmond and Denbigh. On 26th June 1919 Louisa Isabella Harriet Thynne died.

1849. John Everett Millais 1st Baronet (age 19). "Isabella". From the poem Isabella and the Pot of Basil and the book Decameron Day Four Story Five. Note the initials PRB on the bottom of the table leg. The painting is on display at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.

The models are believed to be:

Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 20): Far right drinking from glass.

[his brother] William Michael Rossetti (age 19): Lorenzo, offering an orange to Isabella.

Isabella: Decameron Day Four Story Five. Summary. Lisabetta's brothers murder her lover. He appears to her in a dream and shows her where he is buried. She secretly disinters the head and places it in a pot of basil, over which she weeps for a long time every day. In the end her brothers take it away from her, and shortly thereafter she dies of grief.

Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough

A canon regular of the Augustinian Guisborough Priory, Yorkshire, formerly known as The Chronicle of Walter of Hemingburgh, describes the period from 1066 to 1346. Before 1274 the Chronicle is based on other works. Thereafter, the Chronicle is original, and a remarkable source for the events of the time. This book provides a translation of the Chronicle from that date. The Latin source for our translation is the 1849 work edited by Hans Claude Hamilton. Hamilton, in his preface, says: 'In the present work we behold perhaps one of the finest samples of our early chronicles, both as regards the value of the events recorded, and the correctness with which they are detailed; Nor will the pleasing style of composition be lightly passed over by those capable of seeing reflected from it the tokens of a vigorous and cultivated mind, and a favourable specimen of the learning and taste of the age in which it was framed.'

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

1850. Walter Deverell (age 23). "Twelfth Night". Model for Viola, left, [his future wife] Elizabeth Siddal (age 20), model, right, the jester Feste, Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 21).

1850. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 21). "Rosso Vestita" i.e. "Dressed in Red". Model [his future wife] Elizabeth Siddal (age 20).

March 1850. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 21). "Ecce Ancilla Domini!" aka The Annunciation. Models: Angel [his brother] William Michael Rossetti (age 20), Mary [his sister] Christina Georgina Rossetti (age 19).

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1851. 13th November 1851. After Clipstone Street spent the evening with Wells (age 22) at John (age 24) and Thomas Seddon's (age 30), 7 Percy Street; G. Rossetti (age 23), F. M. Brown (age 30) and G. Truefitt (age 27) were there.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1852. 3rd March 1852. Tom Seddon (age 30) showed me the drawing by G. Rossetti (age 23) he spoke to me about? I was so pleased with it that I decided on having it at once. Some very fine colour about it independent of its other merits. I am to give 5 gns. for it.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1852. 30th December 1852. Went down to Dante G (age 24). and William Rossetti's chambers at 14 Chatham Place, Blackfriars Bridge. Met there Wells (age 24), J. P. Seddon (age 25), Clayton (age 25), and Mr. Munro (age 27), Mr. Stephens (age 25) and Mr. Hughes (age 20). Rossetti showed me his studio but none of his works (which is his way). He had for our entertainment a series of anastatic drawings designed and coloured by the Hon. Mrs. Boyle, some of which as beautiful in feeling, natural simplicity, and colour, and in poetical treatment as almost anything I have seen. They illustrate a nursery rhyme. Also a quantity of Gavarni's works, and a grand and most striking mask of Dante taken from a caste of his face in death; a tracing of his head in Giotto's fresco with the eye imperfect; a pen and ink sketch by Millais from Keats' "Isabella." In the physical way, roast chestnuts and coffee, honey, and hot spirits. His room has a jolly balcony overhanging the river, the reflection of the lights on the bridge and quays, etc., were charming. Conversation throughout delightful, resulting methought from the happy and gentlemanly freedom of the company generally. There was only one of D. G. Rossetti's works to be seen in the room, and that was a sketch, study of a man, back view. Gabriel Rossetti invited me to his studio next Thursday.

1853. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 24). "The First Anniversary of the Death of Beatrice" or "Dante receiving visitors on the anniversary of Beatrice's death". Model [his future wife] Elizabeth Siddal (age 23). The picture was bought by Francis McCracken who wrote to Rossetti on the 14th of May 1854: "I had an idea of an intention of the possibility of a suggestion that the lady in my drawing should be Gemma Donati whom Dante married afterwards and for that reason meant to have put the Donati arms on the dresses of the three visitors, but could not find a suitable way of doing so. The visitors are unnamed in the text. But I had an idea also of connecting the pitying lady with another part of the V[ita] N[uova] and in part the sketch is full of notions of my own in this way, which would only be cared about by one to whom Dante was a chief study".

1853. William Holman Hunt (age 25). Portrait of Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 24).

The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy

The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

1853 to 1854. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 24). "The Meeting of Dante and Beatrice in Paradise".

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1853. 1st January 1853. Mr. Topham (age 44) called on me in Gt. Russell St., looked over my drawings; recommended me candidly not to try for the Old Water-Colour Society this season. Hoped Anthony and I would join him in Spain this summer. Drew at Clipstone St. for 1½ hrs. Last sitting of Miss Nicholl. She has been sitting to D. G. Rossetti (age 24) in a sitting posture.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1853. 6th January 1853. To Rossetti's (age 24), Blackfriars Bridge. Met there W. Holman Hunt (age 25), J. E. Millais (age 23), J. P. Seddon (age 25), Clayton (age 25), Munro (age 27), whose charming group of Francesca and her lover was in Rossetti's studio, Stephens, Blanchard, C. Lucy, a Scotchman and a foreigner. Millais somewhat egotistical and little real, his attention being easily distracted. He jerked out some good remarks. Spoke highly of Ruskin (age 33) as a friend of Art; said that Mrs. R (age 24). was sitting for one of his pictures. Hunt struck me as a thoroughly genuine, humorous, good-hearted, straightforward English-like fellow. Said he was bound for Syria before long. Millais spoke highly of Charles Collins (age 24) as a good religious man?

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1853. 28th January 1853. Went to Gabriel Rossetti's (age 24) studio to see his Annunciation picture, which was exhibited at the National Institution the year I was laid up with my hip. He has been painting on it since, and sent it off (to Dublin) whilst I was there. The Virgin one of, if not the most exquisite conception I have yet seen, her head, golden hair and blue eyes (although painted from his sister [[his sister] Christina Georgina Rossetti (age 22)] who is darkish) full of intense thought and awakened and growing religious awe, almost my ideal of a woman's head, and much like Lizzie Ridley. The white drapery with which she is clad beautifully treated. The Angel standing upright in a long robe unsubstantial and with flames under his feet not so satisfactory. I asked him to get me a cast of Woolner's (age 27) model for a monument to Wordsworth and of his medallion of Carlyle, and commissioned of him a drawing from Dante. Had a long chat with him about Turner, for whose work I was sorry and surprised to find he had not the highest possible admiration.

On 5th April 1853 Ford Madox Brown (age 31) and Emma Matilda Hill (age 23) were married at St Dunstan's in the West, Fleet Street [Map]. The witnesses were Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 24) and Thomas Seddon (age 31). Rector Edward Auriol (age 48) performed the ceremony.

Edward Auriol: On 27th February 1805 he was born to James Peter Auriol. In or before 1841 Edward Auriol and Georgina Morris were married. In or before 1841 he was appointed Rector of St Dunstan's in the West, Fleet Street [Map]. On 10th July 1880 Edward Auriol died.

/_PHOTOS/DOCUMENTS/MARRIAGES/Dunstan_in_the_West_Page_156.jpg

1st May 1853. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 24). Drawing of Emma Matilda Hill (age 23).

8th December 1853. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 25). Portrait of Margaret Anne Thomson (age 20).

1854. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 25) [After]. Portrait of Calliope 'Opie' Coronio.

Calliope 'Opie' Coronio: On 27th May 1856 she was born to Theodore John Zannis Coronio and Aglaïa Coronio née Ionides. On 19th August 1906 she died. Her mother committed suicide the following day. They were buried together at the Hellenic Enclosure, West Norwood Cemetery. On 20th August 1906 Aglaïa Coronio née Ionides committed suicide the day after the death of her daughter Calliope 'Opie' Coronio.

1854. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 25). Portrait of Aglaïa Coronio née Ionides (age 19).

1854. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 25). [his future wife] Elizabeth Siddal (age 24) Seated at a Window.

1854. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 25). Portrait of [his future wife] Elizabeth Siddal (age 24). Watercolor.

Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.

In 1536, two weeks after the execution of Anne Boleyn, her brother George and four others, Lancelot du Carle, wrote an extraordinary letter that described Anne's life, and her trial and execution, to which he was a witness. This book presents a new translation of that letter, with additional material from other contemporary sources such as Letters, Hall's and Wriothesley's Chronicles, the pamphlets of Wynkyn the Worde, the Memorial of George Constantyne, the Portuguese Letter and the Baga de Secrets, all of which are provided in Appendices.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

1854. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 25). [his future wife] Elizabeth Siddal (age 24) Reading.

1854. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 25). "Found". Model Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 18).

Around 1854. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 25). [his future wife] Elizabeth Siddal (age 24) - Study for Delia in 'The Return of Tibullus to Delia'.

Around 1854. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 25). [his future wife] Elizabeth Siddal (age 24) Seated on the Ground.

Between 1854 and 1855. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 25). [his future wife] Elizabeth Siddal (age 24) Seated at an Easel, Painting.

1854. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 25). "The Maids of Elfen-Mere". An illustration for William Allingham's ballad The Maids of Elfen-Mere , the picture is involved with the stories of the nixies, or water sprites, out of Northern mythology.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1854. 13th March 1854. To Rossetti's (age 25). Found him at home but unwell; he sleeps little at nights. A young man of the name of Hughes (age 22) was painting a picture of Orlando inscribing his mistress' name on a tree. Parts nicely painted. Rossetti showed me an exquisite drawing of his from the Vita Nuova, Dante receiving visitors on the anniversary of Beatrice's death. He showed me too a little unfinished drawing of Dante, Beatrice, and two others, in Paradise, he promised to finish for me, as I liked it, and would like some work in exchange. On the wall he has pen and ink outlines by J. E. Millais (age 24), W. H. Hunt (age 26), Deverell, and W. B. Scott, pencil design by Woolner, chalk study by F. M. Brown (age 32). A lovely hasty rub in of a cornfield against a deep blue sky, by W. H. Hunt. We read a long critique of the National Exhibition in the Daily News by Coventry Patmore; intensive praise of my small drawing, finding fault with the others. Rossetti came round to Russell St. and took ten of the drawings I showed him. He liked the long Sunset, Moel Siabod—Autumn Study, Thought the 3 greatest men in art were Giotto, Durer, Hogarth.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1854. 8th April 1854. J. E. Millais (age 24) and Munro (age 28) called on me at Russell St. The former stayed some time and appeared much interested in my sketches, especially those taken in the neighbourhood of Dinan, and some few near Bettws. He thought I painted a good like old Hunt—wish I had a little of his genius! He wanted to finish his picture of Ruskin (looking on falling water) from some spot nearer than the Highlands. I recommended him the neighbourhood of Capel Curig. He suggested our exchanging sketches. Rossetti (age 25) came in at 3 and stayed till 10, working a greater part of the time on the old drawing I have of his, in which I cut out the head of the dancing boy and inserted a fresh piece of paper at the back. He improved it much in parts, especially the heads, but left it unfinished. He said he thought the most beautiful combination of colour in a picture to be green, blue, and carmine, all inclining to purplish, but the general tone of picture colour to incline to vellow. An opal I showed him elicited this. He gave me 2 pen and ink sketches made some time ago—one of his first idea of the drawing "to caper nimbly in a lady's chamber," and the other a Siren followed by two men in a boat. I am to give him a sketch in return. He lent me F. & G.'s edition of Hugo's "Notre Dame de Paris" with some fine illustrations by Meissonier and Legrand. He told me in conversation that W. H. Hunt (age 27) had a morbid conviction of his own ugliness and desired that all record of him to the present in the way of portraits or letters should be destroyed.

Deeds of King Henry V

Henrici Quinti, Angliæ Regis, Gesta, is a first-hand account of the Agincourt Campaign, and subsequent events to his death in 1422. The author of the first part was a Chaplain in King Henry's retinue who was present from King Henry's departure at Southampton in 1415, at the siege of Harfleur, the battle of Agincourt, and the celebrations on King Henry's return to London. The second part, by another writer, relates the events that took place including the negotiations at Troye, Henry's marriage and his death in 1422.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1854. 13th April 1854. Rossetti (age 25) came to work on the two drawings. He told me that he had seen Ruskin (age 35) who had been to his studio and complimented him enthusiastically. They had arranged to come here on Saturday to see R.'s two drawings and some of mine. R. thought Ruskin hideous.

On 26th April 1854 [his father] Gabriele Pasquale Giuseppe Rossetti (age 71) died. He was buried in the Rossetti Family Grave at Highgate Cemetery.

1855. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 26). "Dante's Vision of Rachel and Leah". Model [his future wife] Elizabeth Siddal (age 25).

1855. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 26). Portrait of [his future wife] Elizabeth Siddal (age 25). Pen and brown and black ink.

1855. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 26). "The Annunciation". The model for the figure of the Virgin was [his future wife] Elizabeth Siddal (age 25).

Letters of William Allingham. Arthur Hughes to William Allingham. 6 Upper Belgrave Place, Thursday [1855].

Dear Allingham, — I am at length able to send you the drawings you were good enough to covet, having got them at last out of the clutches of unsuccessful photography. Writing this under a visitation of fog such as you see nowhere but here I expect. You are free of such an atmosphere I trust. Your last letters at all events have breathed of the Sea pretty much — I should think your recreation in the water is over now. I suppose an extra long note is due from one who writes so seldom as I, but I have neither news nor thoughts worth supplying the want of news. You see I am still troubled with that unaffected modesty which has always so stood in the way of my advancement.

Do you know D. G. R. (age 26) and Munro are in Paris together, closing the Exhibition I suppose, tho' I rather expect the presence of [his future wife] Miss Siddal (age 25) in that Capital of pleasure was the stronger inducement for Rossetti's journey there. He has been making lots of lovely water-colors lately, most of them for Ruskin — which brings me to a matter of my own in connection with that Great Writer. You remember the picture of a girl you saw unfinished — and suggested my calling "Hide and Seek" — now completed and rejoicing in the more graceful title of "April Love."¹ Ruskin saw, went into enthusiastic admiration, and brought his Father to try and induce him to purchase it, but alas fate willed otherwise, altho' the old gentleman's enthusiasm equalled if not surpassed Ruskin Junior's, I believe — and now Goodbye, if you care to write on safe arrival of these invaluable works of Art — tell me all you think about Maud because I like Maud very much and hear you do not.

Goodbye. Ever yours, Arthur Hughes.

Note 1. "April Love." Bought by William Morris at the Royal Academy Exhibition.

Become a Member via our Buy Me a Coffee page to read more.

Between 1855 and 1859. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 26). Louisa Ruth Herbert (age 24).

1855. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 26). [his future wife] Elizabeth Siddal (age 25) in a Chair.

In April 1855 John Ruskin (age 36) proposed to Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 26) that he do a series of seven pictures illustrating the Purgatorio of which Rossetti executed two: Dante's Vision of Rachel and Leah and Dante's Vision of Matilda Gathering Flowers.

In 1856 Emma Lucy Madox Brown (age 12) was sent to live with the household of Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 27).

Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

1856. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 27). "Dante's Dream". Watercolour. Model for Beatrice, lying dead on the bed, Margaret Anne Thomson (age 23).

Diary of William Allingham. Early in 1856 Allingham received the first number of the Oxford and Cambridge Magazine praising The Germ and writing of Rossetti's illustration to Ailingham's poem, 'The Maids of Elfin Mere,' as 'the best drawing that has ever appeared in illustration of a book.' His annual visit to London, this year, took place in May, and one of his first calls was with Arthur Hughes upon Rossetti, who, however, was not at home, but whose picture of Dante's Dream was discovered somewhere in the room. It was put on the easel, and Allingham made a little note in his diary of the 'two lovely figures' and 'rainbow of angels.'¹ The visitors also came upon his picture called 'Found,' in one of the many stages of its progress, — 'The calf in cart and bit of wall,' Allingham writes — that calf which grew so many times into a cow during the thirty years in which the picture was being painted.

He made many excursions, this month, with Rossetti (age 27) and [his future wife] Miss Siddal (age 26), and he was always of the 'assemblage' which gathered so frequently at Rossetti's rooms.

Note 1. Rossetti gave Allingham a pencil study for this picture, in which Allingham stood, for a few minutes, as model for profile and hand. It is now in Mrs. Allingham's possession.

Life of William Morris. In the early part of the Long Vacation of 1857, Rossetti (age 28) went down to Oxford to see his friend Benjamin Woodward, the architect. Morris, always delighted to take a day at Oxford, went with him. The long battle between the Palladian and Gothic styles for the new University Museum had been at last decided by the Oxford authorities in favour of the latter. Woodward's plans, in a style of mixed Rhenish and Venetian Gothic, had been accepted, and the museum was now in progress. Besides his principal work at the museum, he was engaged in building a debating hall for the Union Society. That hall, now the principal library, was just roofed in. In formi, the hall was a long building with apsidal ends. A narrow gallery fitted with bookshelves ran completely round it, and above the shelves was a broad belt of wall divided into ten bays, pierced by twenty six-foil circular windows, and surmounted by an open timber roof. Rossetti was at once fired with the idea of painting the space thus given. In his notions of the application of painting to architedural surfaces, Woodward, an ardent admirer and a skilled imitator of the Venetian builders, cordially concurred ; and it was at once settled that the ten bays and the whole of the ceiling should be covered with painting in tempera. The Building Committee of the Union, who had a general discretion as regards the work to be done during the Long Vacation, were induced to authorize the work without waiting to refer the matter to a general meeting of the Society. It was arranged that the paintings should forthwith be designed and carried out under Rossetti's superintendence. He himself, and other artists whom he should invite to join him, were to be the executants. The Union was to defray the expense of scaffolding and materials, and the travelling and lodging expenses of the artists, who, beyond this, were to give their services for nothing. No sooner was this settled, than Rossetti went straight back to London and issued his orders: Burne-Jones (age 23) and Morris (age 22) were to lay aside all other work and start on the new scheme at once. He had it all planned in his mind. The ten paintings on the walls were to be a series of scenes from the "Morte d' Arthur," and the roof above them was to be covered with a floriated design. For the pidures, ten men had to be found, each of whom should execute one bay, and the work, in the first enthusiasm, was estimated as a matter of six weeks or so. Arthur Hughes (age 24), Spencer Stanhope (age 27), Val Prinsep (age 18), and Hungerford Pollen (age 36), were drawn into the scheme and agreed to take a picture each; Madox Brown (age 35) was also asked to execute one, but declined. Rossetti undertook to do two, or if possible three, himself, and Morris and Burne-Jones were each to do one under his eye and with his guidance : eight or nine of the ten bays were thus accounted for, and the remainder of the space was for the moment left to chance.

Become a Member via our Buy Me a Coffee page to read more.

1857. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 28). "Mary Nazarene". The model for the Virgin was [his future wife] Elizabeth Siddal (age 27). The picture was exhibited in May 1857 at the Russell Place Pre-Raphaelite Exhibition,

In 1857 John Roddam Spencer-Stanhope (age 27), Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 28), Edward Burne-Jones (age 23) and William Morris (age 22) decorated the Oxford Union Debating Hall with murals on Arthurian themes.

1857. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 28). A striking background of blue tiles, two queens playing on a clavichord with one hand each while their other hands play a set of bells and a lute. Two other ladies stand singing from sheet music. A red lily rises in the lower foreground. [his future wife] Elizabeth Siddal (age 27) was the model for the queen on the right.

Around 1857 Simeon Solomon (age 16) was introduced by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 28) to members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood including Algernon Charles Swinburne (age 19) and Edward Coley Burne-Jones 1st Baronet (age 23).

1857. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 28). "The Harp Player", study of Annie Miller (age 22)".

Letters of Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1857. In February 1857 Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 28) wrote to William Bell Scott (age 46):

Two young men, projectors of the "Oxford and Cambridge Magazine," have recently come up to town from Oxford, and are now very intimate friends of mine. Their names are Morris (age 22) and Jones (age 23). They have turned artists instead of taking up any other career to which the university generally leads, and both are men of real genius. Jones's designs are marvels of finish and imaginative detail, unequalled by anything unless perhaps Albert Durer's finest works' (W. B. Scott, Memoirs, ii. 37).

William of Worcester's Chronicle of England

William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1855-1857. 27th June 1857. To P.R.B. Exhibition in Russell Place .... I found my little "Sunset" sketch in North Wales mounted in a preposterously wide gilt flat, whereas I had left it in my room mounted on white paper. A lot of the foreground is covered by the mount which completely spoils the sketch and looks ridiculously pretentious besides. Saw (at Hogarth's) a rather clever caricature-etching founded on Millais' "Dream of the Past" picture, to which the outlines were pretty strictly kept to. Millais (age 28) himself is the old Knight, Rossetti (age 29) the girl in front, Holman Hunt (age 30) the child behind. Ruskin (age 38) the ass on which they are riding and which is by far the best thing in the etching in every respect.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1855-1857. 29th June 1857. Rossetti (age 29) and his friend Morris (age 23) (of 17 Red Lion Square), called on me in Buckingham St. and had tea. R. told me he was sure it was a man of the name of Sandys (age 28) who had done the caricature.

In October 1857 Jane Morris nee Burden (age 17) and her sister Elizabeth Burden (age 15) attended a performance of the Drury Lane Theatre Company in Oxford. Jane Burden was noticed by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 29) and Edward Burne-Jones (age 24) who asked her to model for them.

1858. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 29). "Mary Magdalene at the door of Simon the Pharisee". Model Louisa Ruth Herbert (age 27).

1858. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 29). Portrait of Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 13).

1858. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 29). Fair Rosamund. Model Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 22).

1858. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 29). "Study for Guenevere". Model Jane Morris nee Burden (age 18).

1858. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 29). Drawing of Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 22).

Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke

Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

Around 1858. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 29). Drawing of Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 22).

1858. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 29). "The Chapel before the Lists". Model Miss Herbert (age 27).

1858. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 29). Louisa Ruth Herbert (age 27).

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1858. 22nd May 1858. To Wyld's reading rooms where I met Dante Rossetti (age 30). We went off to his rooms in a cab and had tea there. While I was looking at his excellent drawings he read aloud to me several translations of his in the metre of the original early Italian Sonnets and other pieces before and contemporary with Dante. Several of them most touching and graphic, terse and simple. Admiring a little pen and ink sketch of a little girl wheeling a child along in a go-cart, he gave it me. He came back with me in a cab to my place and there we sat and read and talked of Browning. He recited also 2 excellent little pieces by Morris (Topsy). He spoke of Jones being "an angel on earth, and too good for this world.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1858. 29th May 1858. Dante Rossetti (age 30) called to see me while Burges was taking tea with me. After a while he got Annie Harrison (the landlady's daughter) to sit to him. Burges bullied him into using vellum when he wished simply for paper. Consequently he didn't make so good a sketch as he would have done had he been left to his own bent. It was in pen and ink, and he gave it to me before leaving, which was at a very late hour. He told me some amusing anecdotes about Thackeray, and repeated some most ludicrous exclamations of Morris'. He read a lovely little MS. poem of Browning's, about a portrait of a golden-haired beauty on a golden ground that he copied from some lady's album.

Burges asked him how he would lay in a head in oil colour. He said "begin by modelling it thoroughly in pure blue, tempered with white where necessary. For the darkest shadows use it very purely and thinly, and perhaps in hatchings and in reflected lights omit it, leaving them for the local colour of second painting; which may be taken up as soon as the first is dry and can be scraped smooth." I made a slight sketch of Annie while Rossetti was doing his.

Letters of Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1858. On 1st June 1858 Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 30) wrote to William Bell Scott (age 47):

I am in the stunning position this morning of expecting the actual visit, at ½ past 11, of a model whom I have been longing to paint for years - Miss Herbert (age 27) of the Olympic Theatre - who has the most varied and highest expression I ever saw in a woman's face, besides abundant beauty, golden hair, etc. Did you ever see her? O my eye! she has sat to me now and will sit to me for Mary Magdalene in the picture I am beginning. Such luck!'.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1858. 2nd June 1858. Rossetti (age 30) called in the evening and stayed till about 12.30 chatting. He told me further particulars about Dickens, who it appears has left his wife and taken to Miss Fernan, the actress, with whom he is infatuated (platonically as he pretends). His daughters side or keep to him and his sons to their mother.

20th September 1858. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 30). Drawing of Louisa Ruth Herbert (age 27).

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1858. 15th December 1858. To Rossetti (age 30). The new things I noticed were an intensely impressive water colour of the Virgin in the house of John, the latter seated at the window and striking a light and looking out upon Jerusalem at twilight. The Virgin is spinning. A Knight girded for combat embracing his Lady Love [The Chapel before the Lists]. Several studies of Miss Herbert (age 27) (Mrs. Crabbe). A most beautiful pen and ink study of Topsy's (Morris's) "Stunner" at Oxford. He showed me some fine medieval drapery and some gorgeous Eastern pieces lent him from the India House. We went off at dusk and dined at the Cock, and afterwards adjourned to 24 Dean St., Soho, to see "Fanny (age 23)." Interesting face and jolly hair and engaging disposition.

Anne Boleyn. Her Life as told by Lancelot de Carle's 1536 Letter.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

1859. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 30). Bocca Baciata aka "mouth that has been kissed". Model Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 23) The first of Rossetti's single female figures which thereafter became his signature style. The flowers in the background are marigolds, a white rose in her hair. An apple on the balustrade. The title from the Italian proverb from the last line of the Seventh story of the Second Book of Boccacio's Decameron "Bocca baciata non perde ventura, anzi rinnova come fa la luna" aka "The mouth that has been kissed does not lose its good fortune; rather, it renews itself just as the moon does."

1859. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 30). "Mary in the House of St John". Model Miss Herbert (age 28).

1859. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 30). "The Bower Garden". Model [his future wife] Elizabeth Siddal (age 29). The picture was first purchased by Elizabeth Siddal. After his death it was purchased by James Leathart (age 39).

James Leathart: In 1820 he was born. Before 1880 he and Maria Hedley were married. In 1895 he died.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1859. 3rd January 1859. Took Simeon Solomon (age 18) to the Hogarth to see the works exhibited. Rossetti (age 30) has a beautiful solemn purple drawing of Mary in the house of John. As Simeon said, "The impression of intense, thoughtful repose after the strife and excitement of the previous years is most impressive." R. also sent my little "Caper Nimbly" drawing, but has changed the subject into a "Borgia," and made the old grey-haired man into a Pope.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1859. 28th December 1859. Annie Miller (age 24) came and sat to me. Rossetti (age 31) came in and made a pencil study of her. She looked more beautiful than ever.

Around 1860. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 31). Portrait of Annie Miller (age 25).

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1860. 11th February 1860. Annie Miller (age 25) sat to me. Rossetti (age 31) came in towards dusk and touched on my oil portrait of her begun, and went away with her.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1860. 27th February 1860. Miss Miller (age 25) came to sit to me, but Rossetti (age 31) coming in soon after, I did scarcely any work. Major Gillam paid me 16 gns. for the drawing done at Streatley of the long-grass meadow and mowers. D. G. R. put his initials to the "Borgia" and "Belle Dame Sans Merci."

Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

Letters of James Smetham's School. 24th March 1860. A Letter from Rossetti. He is coming to see us before long. He has some fine things at the Hogarth Club, to which he gave me a ticket. There is a man there, Edward Jones (age 26), whose work you would like amazingly. There is a tall cabinet, seven feet high, designed and painted by him from Chaucer, the legend of the little boy whom the Jews murdered, but who would go on singing "Alma redemptoris, evermore," till some saint, or somebody, put a grain of wheat on his tongue. It might have been done by Giotto, only Giotto could not have done it near so well. Rossetti (age 31) has Dante and Beatrice in Paradise¹; a glorious thing. The sky is gilt, the name is put on scrolls ("Hortus Eden') in the sky, and the names are written near the heads. The background is a rich rose hedge, with birds of Paradise pecking roses, and nestling, and singing birds singing lustily. There is a floor of tall buttercups, hyacinths, and lilies, among which the five figures are treading ankle deep. Coloured calm, "above all pain, all passion, and all pride," reigns in the atmosphere. There they walk in knowledge, love, and beauty evermore.

Note 1. The reference painting appears to be a later work of the same subject.

Memorials of Edward Burne-Jones 1860. Before 23rd May 1860. Since the time that Rossetti (age 32) was called away from Oxford, in October, 1857, by the illness of [his future wife] Miss Siddal (age 30), he and Edward (age 26) had been less together, but there had been no decrease of affection between them, and so it was of the most vital interest to us when we learnt that Gabriel was to be married about the same time as ourselves. He and Edward at once built up a plan for our all four meeting in Paris as soon as possible afterwards; I went home to Manchester to make my preparations, and it was decided that the fourth anniversary of our engagement, the 9th of June, should be our wedding-day. The conditions on which we started life were, practically no debts, except of work to Mr. Flint, and the possession of about £30 in ready money; and I brought with me a small deal table with a drawer in it that held my wood-engraving tools. Three days before our marriage, however, came a note from the unfailing Mr. Flint: "The two pen-and-ink drawings are to hand to-day. I enclose order for £25 which you may need just now." So here was riches.

On 23rd May 1860 Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 32) and Elizabeth Siddal (age 30) were married at St Clement's Church, Hastings.

After 23rd May 1860. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 32). Portrait of [his wife] Elizabeth Siddal (age 30) painted shortly after their marriage ntitld "Regina Cordium" i.e. "Queen of Hearts".

Memorials of Edward Burne-Jones 1860. 9th June 1860. The 9th of June fell on a Saturday, and we decided to go no further that day than to Chester, where we should see its curious streets and attend service at the Cathedral [Map] on Sunday; Gabriel (age 32) and his [his wife] wife (age 30) were by this time in Paris [Map], and we hoped to join them a few days later. But this was not in store for us, for unhappily Edward (age 26) had been caught in a rain-storm a day or two before and already had a slight sore-throat, which now so quickly grew worse that by noon on Sunday he was almost speechless from it and in the hands of a strange doctor. This illness was a sharp check, and we found ourselves shut up for some days in a dreary hotel in an unknown place; but a gleam of satisfaction reached us when the doctor spoke of me to Edward as "your good lady," and gave me directions about what was to be done for the patient, with no apparent suspicion that I had not often nursed him before. Trusting in this and in some half-used reels of sewing cotton ostentatiously left about, as well as a display of boots which had already been worn, we felt great confidence that no one would guess how ignominiously newly-married we were.

Memorials of Edward Burne-Jones 1860. After 9th June 1860. It was quite clear that we must give up Paris and get to our own home as soon as the doctor gave Edward (age 26) leave to travel; so ruefully enough I wrote to Gabriel (age 32) and told him how things were; and his answer was a comfort to us, for he reported that they were both tired of "dragging about," and looked forward with pleasure to sitting down again with their friends in London as soon as possible. "[his wife] Lizzie (age 30) and I are likely to come back with two dogs," he continues, "a big one and a little one. We have called the latter Punch in memory partly of a passage in Pepys's Diary, "But in the street. Lord, how I did laugh to hear poor common persons call their fat child Punch, which name I do perceive to be good for all that is short and thick." We have got the book with us from Mudie's, and meant to have yelled over it in company if you had come to Paris. We are now reading Boswell's Johnson, which is almost as rich in some parts." This reading of Boswell resulted in the water-colour drawing of "Dr. Johnson at the Mitre "which Rossetti brought back with him from Paris.

Samuel Johnson: On 18th September 1709 he was born. On 13th December 1784 he died.

Memorials of Edward Burne-Jones 1860. I wish I could recall more details of that day - of the wombat's reception of us, and of the other beasts we visited - but can only remember a passing call on the owls, between one of whom and Gabriel (age 32) there was a feud. The moment their eyes met they seemed to rush at each other, Gabriel rattling his stick between the cage bars furiously and the owl almost barking with rage. [his wife] Lizzie's (age 30) slender, elegant figure - tall for those days, but I never knew her actual height - comes back to me, in a graceful and simple dress, the incarnate opposite of the "tailor-made" young lady. We went home with them to their rooms at Hampstead, and I know that I then received an impression which never wore away, of romance and tragedy between her and her husband. I see her in the little upstairs bedroom with its lattice window, to which she carried me when we arrived, and the mass of her beautiful deep-red hair as she took off her bonnet: she wore her hair very loosely fastened up, so that it fell in soft, heavy wings. Her complexion looked as if a rose tint lay beneath the white skin, producing a most soft and delicate pink for the darkest flesh-tone. Her eyes were of a kind of golden brown - agate-colour is the only word I can think of to describe them - and wonderfully luminous: in all Gabriel's drawings of her and in the type she created in his mind this is to be seen. The eyelids were deep, but without any languor or drowsiness, and had the peculiarity of seeming scarcely to veil the light in her eyes when she was looking down.

Whilst we were in her room she shewed me a design she had just made, called "The Woeful Victory" - then the vision passes.

Memorials of Edward Burne-Jones 1860. Rossetti (age 32) and his [his wife] wife (age 30), after their return from Paris, took a lodging at Hampstead, but she was so ill at first that we never saw her till near the end of July, when to our great delight a day was fixed for the deferred meeting, and Gabriel suggested that it should take place at the Zoological Gardens. "The Wombat's Lair" was the assignation that he gave to the Madox Browns and to us. A mention of this meeting in a letter that I wrote next day gives the impression of the actual time: "She was well enough to see us, and I find her as beautiful as imagination, poor thing."

Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall

The Chronicle of Abbot Ralph of Coggeshall (Chronicon Anglicanum) is an indispensable medieval history that brings to life centuries of English and European affairs through the eyes of a learned Cistercian monk. Ralph of Coggeshall, abbot of the Abbey of Coggeshall in Essex in the early 13th century, continued and expanded his community’s chronicle, documenting events from the Norman Conquest of 1066 into the tumultuous reign of King Henry III. Blending eyewitness testimony, careful compilation, and the monastic commitment to record-keeping, this chronicle offers a rare narrative of political intrigue, royal power struggles, and social upheaval in England and beyond. Ralph’s work captures the reigns of pivotal figures such as Richard I and King John, providing invaluable insights into their characters, decisions, and the forces that shaped medieval rule. More than a simple annal, Chronicon Anglicanum conveys the texture of medieval life and governance, making it a rich source for scholars and readers fascinated by English history, monastic authorship, and the shaping of the medieval world.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

Around 25th December 1860. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 32). Portrait of Mrs William Morris aka Jane Morris nee Burden (age 21). Signed top-left Upton (ie the Red House) Xmas 1860.

Before 2nd May 1861 [his daughter] Stillborn Child was born to Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 32) and [his wife] Elizabeth Siddal (age 31). See Memorials of Edward Burne-Jones.

On 21st October 1861 Philip Burne-Jones 2nd Baronet was born to Edward Coley Burne-Jones 1st Baronet (age 28) and Georgiana Macdonald Lady Burne-Jones (age 21). He was baptised at Manchester Cathedral [Map] with his godfathers, by proxy, being John Ruskin (age 42) and Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 33). See Memorials of Edward Burne-Jones.

1862. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 33). Portrait of Alice Boyd 14th of Penkill (age 37).

On 11th February 1862 at twenty past seven in the morning [his wife] Elizabeth Siddal (age 32) overdosed on laudanum at 14 Chatham Place. Possibly suicide - there may have been a note that said "look after Harry (her invalid brother)" which Ford Madox Brown (age 40) persuaded Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 33) to burn. Shortly after her death Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 27) moved into the family home to become housekeeper to Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

1863. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 34). "Helen of Troy". Model Annie Miller (age 28).

                    1863. Retouched 1873. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 34). "Die Geliebte" aka "The Beloved" aka "The Bride". Models: Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 16), Ellen Smith, Marie Ford Model, Fanny Entwhistle aka Eaton (age 27) and Keomi aka Keytumas Gray (age 21).
                
                    Two Biblical texts are inscribed on the frame below the painting.
                
                    My beloved is mine and I am his. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: For thy love is better than wine. [The Song of Songs by King Solomon]
                
                    She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins that be her fellows shall bear her company, and shall be brought unto thee.

1863. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 34). "Dona en Groc" aka "Woman in Yellow". Model Annie Miller (age 28).

                    Letters of Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1863. 2nd January 1863. Friday. 16 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea.
                
                    My dear Rose (age 43)
                
                    I have asked Whistler to dinner Thursday next at 6. Will you meet him?
                
                    Your
                
                    D G Rossetti (age 34)
                
                    Next Wednesday will do well for the Deed of Partnership

        
                    Letters of James McNeill Whistler 1863. 16th March 1863 or 23rd March 1863. 7a Queens Road West, Chelsea. Monday - / March
                
                    Dear Rose (age 43) -
                
                    Any news about "my house" - . Is it all right? am I wanted to take any step? or will it all be settled without me? Are you going to make him do anything at all to the house and can I go in shortly when the agreement is made
                
                    I have been knocked up for a couple of days with rheumatism but hope to get to work again tomorrow - I was very sorry not to see you the other day at Rossetti's (age 34) -
                
                    Will you drop me a line about the house.
                
                    With many thanks
                
                    Ever Yours
                
                    J Whistler (age 28)

Become a Member via our Buy Me a Coffee page to read more.

The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

                    Letters of James McNeill Whistler 1863. 13th May 1863. 7 Lindsey Row Battersea Bridge Old Chelsea. Wednesday
                
                    Dear Rossetti (age 35) -
                
                    Do come and breakfast with me on Sunday next at half past eleven - to meet Gambart (age 48) and perhaps Steevens (age 40) -
                
                    Ever yours
                
                    J Whistler (age 28)

                    Letters of Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1863. 9th December 1863. 16 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea.
                
                    My dear Leathart (age 43),
                
                    The picture of Whistler's (age 29) which I mentioned was the unfinished Chinese one, since bought by Gambart (age 49) & which was, as I thought, the one about which you wished to know.
                
                    The Thames picture is still unsold, and on enquiring of Whistler I find its price is 300 guineas. It is the noblest of all the pictures he has done hitherto, and is the one for your collection.
                
                    regards Legros' works, I yesterday saw for the first time a picture he is doing now, of Hamlet in his mother's chamber, where he kills Polonius, about 20 inches by 15 I suppose in size, it may be rather more, and a truly admirable work, the finest he has done in London as yet. He intends to ask 45 guineas for it. It is so very cheap proportionately to the other that I am induced to mention it to you, since it is a work which will stand the proximity of anything whatever, being most full & luminous in colour, though, like all his work, low in tone.
                
                    With kind remembrances to Mrs. Leathart[8].
                
                    I remain my dear Leathart
                
                    Yours ever truly
                
                    D G Rossetti (age 35)

Become a Member via our Buy Me a Coffee page to read more.

Between 1864 to 1868. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 35). Venus Verticordia aka Venus, Changer of the heart. Model Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 17).

Between 1864 to 1868. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 35). Study for Venus Verticordia aka Venus, Changer of the heart. Model: Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 17).

From 1864 to 1870. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 35). "Beata Beatrix". Model [his former wife] Elizabeth Siddal.

April 1864. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 35). "The First Madness of Ophelia".

1865. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 36). "Washing Hands". See Dante Gabriel Rossetti: A Record and Study Page 198.

1865. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 36). Study for Washing Hands. Drawing of Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 18).

Around 1865. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 36). "Study of a Young Woman". Model Fanny Entwhistle aka Eaton (age 29).

Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes

Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

1865. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 36). "Washing Hands". See Dante Gabriel Rossetti: A Record and Study Page 198.

1865. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 36). "The Blue Bower". Model Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 29).

1865. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 36). Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 29).

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1865. 5th May 1865. Rossetti (age 36) sent for the study he gave me, a pencil head of Ellen Smith, said it was by inadvertence he had parted with it, as he particularly wished to dispose of it with other studies of the same picture (Bride in Song of Solomon) to the purchasers of the picture. He promised me good measure" in exchange. Dined at Mills' Coffee House. The beautiful Rafiaelesque girl has left—the waiter thinks for Australia. Alas!

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1865. 19th May 1865. Dined with Rossetti (age 37) and Fanny (age 30) and Howell at Chelsea. Settled to take för 50 eleven selected pencil studies of heads, R. in addition giving me one of a new model he has got to sit.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1865. 22nd May 1865. Rossetti (age 37) sent down by Pope 13 pencil studies of heads, of which 2 (one of Ellen Smith and another ¾ of a new model) are gifts.

The other 11, viz, 3 of Fanny Cornforth (age 30), 2 of Ellen Smith, 1 of Ada, 1 of Mrs. Morris of Upton, £10, 1 of the negro boy, 1 of a negro girl, 1 of Mrs. Eaton, and 1 of Marie Ford I pay £60 for.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1865. 6th August 1865. Called on Gabriel Rossetti (age 37). He and Fanny¹ only there. He was at work upon a drawing of a girl washing her hands, and of her lover; the former painted from Ellen Smith, the latter from Howell.

Note 1. Probably Fanny Waugh (age 32) who married William Holman Hunt (age 38) in December 1865.

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1865. 5th December 1865. December 5. To Gabriel Rossetti (age 37)'s at Chelsea. He at home and Wm. and Fanny—Sandys (age 36) and his gipsy girl (Kiomi (age 24)) there also.

1866. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 37). Monna Vanna aka Vain Woman. Model: Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 19). The fan also appears in the painting Veronica Veronese.

1866. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 37). Regina Cordium aka Queen of Hearts. Model: Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 19).

From 1866 to 1870. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 37). Sibylla Palmifera aka Soul's Beauty. Model: Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 19).

Abbot John Whethamstede’s Chronicle of the Abbey of St Albans

Abbot John Whethamstede's Register aka Chronicle of his second term at the Abbey of St Albans, 1451-1461, is a remarkable text that describes his first-hand experience of the beginning of the Wars of the Roses including the First and Second Battles of St Albans, 1455 and 1461, respectively, their cause, and their consequences, not least on the Abbey itself. His text also includes Loveday, Blore Heath, Northampton, the Act of Accord, Wakefield, and Towton, and ends with the Coronation of King Edward IV. In addition to the events of the Wars of the Roses, Abbot John, or his scribes who wrote the Chronicle, include details in the life of the Abbey such as charters, letters, land exchanges, visits by legates, and disputes, which provide a rich insight into the day-to-day life of the Abbey, and the challenges faced by its Abbot.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

1866. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 37). Watercolour "Hamlet and Ophelia".

1866. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 37). Drawing of Annie Miller (age 31).

1866. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 37). Drawing of [his sister] Christina Georgina Rossetti (age 35).

Around 1866. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 37). Study for Sibylla Palmifera aka Soul's Beauty. Model: Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 19).

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1866. 8th April 1866 (Sunday). To Fred Leighton's (age 35) to breakfast, meeting there Gabriel (age 37) and [his brother] Wm. Rossetti (age 36) and Simeon Solomon (age 25). L. excessively jolly and interesting. Has a large picture, young Greek girls in procession to sacrifice to Diana the first large picture¹ he has painted.

Note 1. See The Syracusan Bride leading Wild Animals in Procession to the Temple of Diana.

1867. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 38). "Jolie Coeur". Model Ellen Smith.

1867. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 38). Rosa Triplex. Model: Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 20).

                    1867. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 38). "Lady Lilith". Watercolor. Model Sarah Cox aka Fanny Cornforth (age 31). Painted after the original Lady Lilith. On a label attached to its frame is a verse from Goethe's Faust translated by Shelley:
                
                    "Beware of her fair hair, for she excells
                
                    All women in the magic of her locks,
                
                    And when she twines them round a young man's neck
                
                    she will not ever set him free again."

1867. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 38). Drawing of Ford Madox Brown (age 45).

Around 1867. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 38). Aspecta Medusa. Model: Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 20).

The History of William Marshal, Earl of Chepstow and Pembroke, Regent of England. Book 1 of 2, Lines 1-10152.

The History of William Marshal was commissioned by his son shortly after William’s death in 1219 to celebrate the Marshal’s remarkable life; it is an authentic, contemporary voice. The manuscript was discovered in 1861 by French historian Paul Meyer. Meyer published the manuscript in its original Anglo-French in 1891 in two books. This book is a line by line translation of the first of Meyer’s books; lines 1-10152. Book 1 of the History begins in 1139 and ends in 1194. It describes the events of the Anarchy, the role of William’s father John, John’s marriages, William’s childhood, his role as a hostage at the siege of Newbury, his injury and imprisonment in Poitou where he met Eleanor of Aquitaine and his life as a knight errant. It continues with the accusation against him of an improper relationship with Margaret, wife of Henry the Young King, his exile, and return, the death of Henry the Young King, the rebellion of Richard, the future King Richard I, war with France, the death of King Henry II, and the capture of King Richard, and the rebellion of John, the future King John. It ends with the release of King Richard and the death of John Marshal.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

Around 1867. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 38). Mary Magdalene. Model: Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 20).

1868. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 39). "Pia de' Tolomei" [An Italian noblewoman from Siena identified as "la Pia," a minor character in Dante's Divine Comedy who was murdered by her husband]. Model Jane Morris nee Burden (age 28).

1868. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 39). Study for La Pia de' Tolomei. Model: Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 21).

1868. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 39). La Pia de' Tolomei. Model: Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 21).

1868. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 39). Blue Silk Dress. Model Jane Morris nee Burden (age 28).

1869. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 40). Mrs William Morris aka Jane Morris nee Burden (age 29).

1869. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 40). "The Salutation of Beatrice". Half-length portrait with a cartouche in the upper left corner bearing the Vita Nuova's sonnet "Tanto gentile e tanto onesta pare". Model Jane Morris nee Burden (age 29).

The Diary of George Price Boyce 1869. 10th April 1869. Mr. J. R. Davidson called to look at my drawings and bought my large "Bridewell Precincts" for £60 and the little head of Mary Leslie ("Pensiero d'Altrui") for 20 gns. In the evening called on Burne-Jones (Gabriel Rossetti (age 40) came in). Mrs. Jones sang several things of Gliick and Beethoven and Schubert, and charmed us in this way till nearly 1 o'clock. Rossetti and I returned together."

Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

Letters of Christina Rossetti. 56 Euston Square, N.W.

Friday afternoon, 14th. [May 1869]¹

My dear Miss Boyd (age 44)

Thank you warmly for so exceedingly kind an invitation, concerning which I will only put forward one regret, that Mrs Epps [Note. Not clear who Mrs Epps is since Laura Theresa Epps (age 17) didn't marry Lawrence Alma-Tadema (age 33) until 1871] should lose what might so have refreshed her both in mind and in body. And indeed, if I may, I will say that should it after all turn out that she could visit lovely Penkill you will without hesitation let me know your altered plans to which I shall most readily conform mine. On the other hand if I go, it will be a special indulgence to travel with the Scotts [Note. William Bell Scott (age 58) and Letitia Margery Norquoy] and as you give me so generous a latitude I will even feel housed at the Castle until a companion offers with whom to start south again;-the journey being somewhat formidably lengthy. But this, of course, only in case it brings my visit within not altogether unreasonable dimensions. How very kind you are to me, and how much I should like to make my gratitude obvious to you. Knowing what a Dear Mrs Scott is, I think she will kindly let me know her plans in due course: meanwhile I expect to run down to Gloucester next week on a little visit to my Uncle if he will have me, but to be up again in time for Penkill.

My love, please, to Mrs Scott, and a kindred sentiment to Mr Scott. We saw Gabriel (age 41) last night, but I know nothing at all about his summer plans.²

My [his mother] Mother (age 69) desires her most cordial remembrances to you, and adds her thanks to mine on my behalf.

Always and affectionately yours

[his sister] Christina G. Rossetti (age 38).

I expect you will find me quite a different order of being this year as regards walking, and I mean to trim up my old hat for possible croquet.

Note 1. Endorsed: "1867." CGR returned to Penkill in 1869, from 9 June to 22 July, not in 1867.

Note 2. DGR was at Penkill from mid-August to 20 September.

Become a Member via our Buy Me a Coffee page to read more.

Letters of Christina Rossetti. 56 Euston Square, London, N.W.

Thursday afternoon. [August 1869]

My dear Alice (age 44)

You who are lady of castle and lands, and deal justice not only to man and maid but likewise to fish and fowl, might be amused to witness the painstaking responsibility and toil with which I keep house for two. This arduous housekeeping added to my habitual labours and enterprises must explain your kind letter's having waited awhile for its answer; its enclosed plume of fluff¹ fans the flame of my grateful remembrance of you and Penkill,-not that this needed fanning.

Please thank Mr Scott (age 58) for the note which puts my scrap to the blush, and assure him that if a second creative moment unlocks the lips of Sir Bedavere² the golden utterance will reach [his sister] Maria (age 42) whether addressed to her in Euston Sq., or at 3 Copt Hall Place-Folkestone.

It is a blameless triumph that a letter reached you on Tuesday morning. I hope the oldest inhabitant continues to thrive, and that if the crabb-dear me! I have turned him into ½ a poet!³-if the crab's position becomes too pitiable he may regain freedom and peace in his native sea. Aunt Eliza was delighted with the weed we picked up together, and cannot have had such a haul I know not when.-Mrs Scott shared with me the enjoyment of your letter last Saturday when I had the pleasure of lunching with her at Notting Hill. She looked and seemed well. Now I am hoping, but not with confidence, that she will say "yes" and meet the Edgcomes⁴ at tea here next Saturday. These mutual friends are migrating to the immediate neighbourhood of Oxford with an eye to retrenchment, and have promised to make two at a peculiarly festive festivity which may call together no more than themselves and Aunt Eliza to honour my teaboard;-for Mrs Scott may say "no", and [his brother] William (age 39) may have flitted to Folkestone for a glimpse of our Mother. Gabriel (age 41) le désiré has asked people to dine with him tomorrow, so presumably he cannot at once be exchanging Chelsea for lovely Penkill;-but I merely infer.-I hope the red lady and her blossoming bower grace and enhance each other;- and that the S.K. windows are progressing to the satisfaction both of blue-eyes and light-(!)-eyes; not to the production of a permanent "Grecian bend".⁵-William has read me his life of Shelley⁶, in which I find matter to interest me and impartiality to admire. Certainly impartiality is not a feminine virtue.-Poor ducklings suggestive of green peas! Perhaps the gentleman who discerned in you a "dear girl" might also view you as a "duck"-and thus make you a cannibal.

Note 1. The enclosure does not remain with the letter.

Note 2. CGR's allusion here is obscure.

Note 3. George Crabbe was one of CGR's favorite poets.

Note 4. Not identified.

Note 5. The first reference is to the paintings illustrative of The King's Quair, in process when CGR was first at Penkill in 1866 and completed by her second visit in June of 1869; the second is to WBS's stained-glass windows for the Ceramic Gallery of the South Kensington Museum (Bornand, p. 145 n. 1). "Blue-eyes and light-(!)-eyes" probably refer to Alice Boyd and Letitia Scott. "Grecian Bend" remains obscure.

Note 6. See letter no. 373, n. 2.

Become a Member via our Buy Me a Coffee page to read more.

In October 1869 Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 41) exhumed the remains of [his former wife] Elizabeth Siddal to retrieve the book of poems he had placed in her coffin seven years previously. He published the works the following year.

1870. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 41). Portrait of Maria Terpsithea Cassavetti aka Zambaco (age 26).

1870. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 41). La Donna della Fiamina aka The Woman of Flames. Model Jane Morris nee Burden (age 30).

1870. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 41). "A Vision of Fiammetta". Model Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 25).

1870. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 41). Mariana. The bottom of the frame has these words from Shakespeare's Measure for Measure "Take, O Take those lips away, That so sweetly were forsworn, And those eyes, the break of day, Lights that do mislean the morn. But my kisses bring again, bring again, Seals of love, but sealed in vain, sealed in vain." Model Jane Morris nee Burden (age 30).

1870. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 41). Portrait of Maria Terpsithea Cassavetti aka Zambaco (age 26).

Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

1870. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 41). Portrait of Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 25).

1870. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 41). Portrait of Aglaïa Coronio née Ionides (age 35).

1870. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 41). Study for Dante's Dream. Model: Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 23).

1870. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 41). Head Study for Dante's Dream. Model Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 25).

1870. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 41). Study for Dante's Dream. Model: Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 23).

1871. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 42). "Dante's Dream at the Time of the Death of Beatrice". Models: Beatrice: Jane Morris nee Burden (age 31), far left Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 24), far right Annie Miller (age 36).

1871. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 42). Pandora. Holding the box - see Hesiod's Works and Days Lines 83 to 108 lines 90-94. Model Jane Morris nee Burden (age 31).

In 1871 William Morris (age 36), and Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 42) took out a joint tenancy on Kelmscott Manor, Oxfordshire. Moris went to Iceland leaving Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Jane Morris nee Burden (age 31) to furnish the house. A relationship between Rossetti and Jane is believed to have begun some years before.

The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

1871. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 42). "Jenny Morris" i.e. Jane Alicia Morris (age 9).

1871. George Frederick Watts (age 53). Portrait of Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 42).

Between 1872 and 1873. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 43). Study for Lilith's Head. Model probably Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 25).

1872. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 43). Portrait of Mary "May" Morris (age 9).

1872. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 43). The Bower Meadow. Models Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 25) right in green, Marie Spartali aka Stillman (age 27) left in red.

1872. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 43). Veronica Veronese. Model Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 25). Sold to Frederick Richards Leyland in 1872 for £840. In 1923 it was acquired by the estate of Samuel Bancroft which donated it in 1935 to the Delaware Art Museum. The painting depicts an uncaged bird, with camomile in the cage, on the desk primroses and daffodils. The fan at her side also appears in the paintint Monna Vanna. The quote is attributed on the frame to "The Letters of Girolamo Ridolfi,", which may a conceit, Suddenly leaning forward, the Lady Veronica rapidly wrote the first notes on the virgin page. Then she took the bow of her violin to make her dream reality; but before commencing to play the instrument hanging from her hand, she remained quiet a few moments, listening to the inspiring bird, while her left hand strayed over the strings searching for the supreme melody, still elusive. It was the marriage of the voices of nature and the soul—the dawn of a mystic creation. Translation from the French by Rowland Elzea.

1873. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 44). "La Ghirlandata" aka "The Garlanded Woman" aka "The Lady of the Wreath". Model: Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 26). Mary "May" Morris (age 10) modelled for the heads in the corners. A woman playing a harp as two angels surround her, enclosed by vivid flowers – including honeysuckle and roses – and luscious green foliage which melds into the green of her dress.

1874. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 45). Portrait of Emma Lucy Madox Brown (age 30).

1874. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 45). Roman Widow. Model Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 27).

1874. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 45). Alexa Wilding. Model Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 27).

1874. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 45). Damsel of the Sanct Grael. Model Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 27).

Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses

Jean de Waurin was a French Chronicler, from the Artois region, who was born around 1400, and died around 1474. Waurin’s Chronicle of England, Volume 6, covering the period 1450 to 1471, from which we have selected and translated Chapters relating to the Wars of the Roses, provides a vivid, original, contemporary description of key events some of which he witnessed first-hand, some of which he was told by the key people involved with whom Waurin had a personal relationship.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

PAINTINGS/ROSSETTI/Clara_Vaughan_Morgan.jpg

From 1874 and 1876. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 45). Portarit of Clara Vaughan Morgan.

Between 1875 and 1878. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 46). The Blessed Damozel. Models centre Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 28), probably left-hand angel Mary "May" Morris (age 12). The first four verses of his poem The Blessed Damozel are written on the frame. In the collection of the Lady Lever Art Gallery [Map].

1875. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 46). Study for La Bella Mano aka The Beautiful Hand. Model Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 28).

1875. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 46). La Bella Mano aka The Beautiful Hand. Model Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 28).

1875. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 46). Study of Mrs William Morris aka Jane Morris nee Burden (age 35).

1876. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 47). Drawing of Louisa Ruth Herbert (age 45).

Letters of Christina Rossetti. [Late November 1876]

My dear Alice (age 51)

You will not, will you? grudge me the pleasure of answering your note of loving remembrance. Every word of sympathy & of affectionate remembrance of our dear [his sister] Maria (age 49) goes to my [his mother] Mother's (age 76) & my heart; & such words have poured in upon us, & have assured us that a widening circle has felt the thrill of our loss.

I am so glad you are seeing & hearing from Gabriel (age 48) again:¹ every dear person gone out of sight brings out the preciousness of those who remain.

My Mother sends you her love, & I send you mine. And recollecting old Penkill² delights & all your kindness to me always, I claim the right to sign myself both

Your grateful & affectionate

[his sister] Christina G. Rossetti (age 45).

Note 1. After his collapse and attempted suicide in 1872 DGR became increasingly paranoid, suspicious even of many old friends, including the W. B. Scotts and Alice Boyd.

Note 2. DGR paid long visits to AB's home in Scotland, Penkill Castle, during the summers of 1866 and 1869.

Become a Member via our Buy Me a Coffee page to read more.

1877. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 48). Drawing of Louisa Ruth Herbert (age 46).

Deeds of King Henry V

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

1877. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 48). A Sea-Spell. Model Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 30).

1877. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 48). Portraits of the artist's sister and mother [his sister] Christina Georgina Rossetti (age 46) and [his mother] Frances Mary Lavinia Polidori (age 76)

1877. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 48). Astarte Syriaca. Model Jane Morris nee Burden (age 37).

1877. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 48). "Proserpine". Model Jane Morris nee Burden (age 37).

1879. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 50). "Alice aka Alexa Wilding (age 32)".

1879. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 50). Portrait of Frederick Richards Leyland (age 47).

1880 to 1882. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 51). "The Salutation of Beatrice". Model Jane Morris nee Burden (age 40).

1880. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 51). "The Daydream". Model Jane Morris nee Burden (age 40).

Jean de Waurin's Chronicle of England Volume 6 Books 3-6: The Wars of the Roses

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

1880. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 51). "The Salutation of Beatrice". Model Jane Morris nee Burden (age 40).

1881. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 52). La Donna della Finestra aka The Woman at the Window. Model Jane Morris nee Burden (age 41).

1881. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 52). Joan of Arc. Model Jane Morris nee Burden (age 41).

Before 1882. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 53). Portrait of Maria Hedley.

Before 1882. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 53). Lady of Shalott. Part 4 Stanza 7 of the 1842 revised version: "But Lancelot mused a little space; He said, "She has a lovely face; God in his mercy lend her grace, The Lady of Shalott." engraved by the Dalziel Brothers.

On 9th April 1882 Dante Gabriel Rossetti (age 53) died. He was buried at All Saints Church, Birchington on Sea [Map]. There is a Celtic Cross marking his grave commissioned by his mother [his mother] Frances Mary Lavinia Polidori (age 81), designed by Ford Madox Brown (age 60) and erected in the presence of his brother [his brother] William Michael Rossetti (age 52) and sister [his sister] Christina Georgina Rossetti (age 51) as written on the base of the cross.

                    Letters of Christina Rossetti. 30, Torrington Square, London. W.C., October 23. 1882.
                
                    My dear Alice (age 57)
                
                    I think you will read my letter with both pleasure and pain. My dearest [his mother] Mother (age 82) sends love to you and hopes it will please you to accept from her a trifling remembrance of your dear friend who so truly admired you, our own Gabriel. Among a few things yesterday divided between herself and [his brother] William (age 53) is the brass plate of a sundial-perhaps the very one in the old Cheyne Walk garden-about 5 1/2 inches square. It has its 4 corner-screws all ready to work into stone or tree-stump and is (so far as I can perceive) quite perfect in condition. May we send it you down to Penkill?-and think of it as marking time somewhere in the beautiful place where you and Miss Losh2 cared for himself and for his health so kindly.
                
                    Send me a consenting word, please. Then my Mother will have the major gratification of presenting, and I the minor gratification of packing.
                
                    Always
                
                    Your affectionate friend
                
                    [his sister] Christina G. Rossetti (age 51).
                
                    Alice Boyd (1825-97) was the companion of William Bell Scott and his wife Letitia until his death. When AB's brother died in February of 1865, she inherited Penkill Castle, which both DGR and CGR visited during the 1860s. AB was introduced to CGR late in 1847 or early in 1848. Their subsequent friendship remained strong until CGR's death.
                
                    Note 2. AB's half sister. See letter no. 1299, n. 1.

Become a Member via our Buy Me a Coffee page to read more.

30th August 1957. Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Sketch of Maria Margaret La Primaudaye.

Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

        
                    Sestina of the Lady Pietra degli Scrovigni is a poem by Dante Alighieri translated by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
                
                    To the dim light and the large circle of shade
                
                    I have clomb, and to the whitening of the hills,
                
                    There where we see no color in the grass.
                
                    Natheless my longing loses not its green,
                
                    It has so taken root in the hard stone
                
                    Which talks and hears as though it were a lady.
                
                    Utterly frozen is this youthful lady,
                
                    Even as the snow that lies within the shade;
                
                    For she is no more moved than is the stone
                
                    By the sweet season which makes warm the hills
                
                    And alters them afresh from white to green
                
                    Covering their sides again with flowers and grass.
                
                    When on her hair she sets a crown of grass
                
                    The thought has no more room for other lady,
                
                    Because she weaves the yellow with the green
                
                    So well that Love sits down there in the shade,-
                
                    Love who has shut me in among low hills
                
                    Faster than between walls of granite-stone.
                
                    She is more bright than is a precious stone;
                
                    The wound she gives may not be healed with grass:
                
                    I therefore have fled far o'er plains and hills
                
                    For refuge from so dangerous a lady;
                
                    But from her sunshine nothing can give shade,-
                
                    Not any hill, nor wall, nor summer-green.
                
                    A while ago, I saw her dressed in green,-
                
                    So fair, she might have wakened in a stone
                
                    This love which I do feel even for her shade;
                
                    And therefore, as one woos a graceful lady,
                
                    I wooed her in a field that was all grass
                
                    Girdled about with very lofty hills.
                
                    Yet shall the streams turn back and climb the hills
                
                    Before Love's flame in this damp wood and green
                
                    Burn, as it burns within a youthful lady,
                
                    For my sake, who would sleep away in stone
                
                    My life, or feed like beasts upon the grass,
                
                    Only to see her garments cast a shade.
                
                    How dark soe'er the hills throw out their shade,
                
                    Under her summer green the beautiful lady
                
                    Covers it, like a stone cover'd in grass.

Become a Member via our Buy Me a Coffee page to read more.

Cansick's Monumental Inscriptions Volume 2 Highgate Cemetery. Highgate Cemetery. To the Dear Memory of My husband, [his father] Gabriel Rossetti, Born at Vasto Ammone, In the kingdom of Naples, 28^th February, 1783; Died in London, 26^th April, 1854, "He shall return no more, nor see his native country." — Jeremiahi xxii. 10. "Now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly." — Hebrews xi. 16.

Ah dio — ajutami tu. Also to the Memory of Elizabeth Eleanor, Wife of D. G. Rossetti (Eldest son of the above). Who departed on the 11^th February, 1862, Aged 30.

Biography of Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1828-1882

Ancestors of Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1828-1882