Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Dante Gabriel Rossetti's paintings connect figures and objects with subjects from scripture, poetry, and classical stories. Early works such as Ecce Ancilla Domini present a biblical event through restrained space and carefully directed gestures. Later paintings give color, fabrics, flowers, and other objects a prominent role around a single figure. Proserpine draws on the classical account of Persephone, with the fruit helping identify the story. Original drawings show how observation of a sitter could enter a literary or symbolic composition.