A cofounder and central figure in the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Dante Gabriel Rossetti valued expression and honesty over the formulaic, idealized classicism favored by the art mainstream of the mid-nineteenth century. During brief early study at the Royal Academy of Art, he had observed the hidebound state of British art. Rossetti and his fellows determined to refute the stagnation that had increased since the time of Raphael. Rossetti (English, 1828–1882) chose fresh and “unapproved” subjects—scenes from the Arthurian tales and other British legends, from the Bible, from Keats, from Shakespeare, from his namesake, Dante—and painted them with a sensual fervor that gained the attention of the influential art critic John Ruskin, who became a powerful supporter. Rich, lush, and haunting, the four Rossetti works selected for this notecard assortment speak from their maker’s heart.
Twenty assorted 5 x 7 inch blank notecards (5 each of 4 styles) with white envelopes in a decorative box.
Contains five each of the following notecards:
Bocca Baciata (Lips That Have Been Kissed), 1859
Monna Vanna, 1866
The Beloved (“The Bride”), 1865–1866
La Pia de’ Tolomei, 1868–1880
