Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, (1828-82). British painter and poet of Italian descent. In 1848, with Holman Hunt and Millais, he formed the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, whose object was to return to the vivid colour and detail of pre-Renaissance art. Rossetti’s earlierpicture were inspired by Christianity and the Middle Ages, as well as by his model, Elizabeth Siddal, whom he married in 1860. After her death in 1862 Rossetti placed the manuscripts of his poems in her coffin, but they were retrieved seven years later and published. They include the sonnet sequence The House of Life. Many of his later, more sensual, pictures feature Jane Morris, the, wife of William Morris. Rossetti’s sister Christina (1830-94) was also a noted poet. Owing to ill-health and depression, she spent most of her adult life as a recluse. Her poems include Goblin Market (1862) and The Prince’s Progress (1866), as well as many short lyrics; A High Anglican, she devoted her last years to religion.
