What I also find curious is that this sketch is perhaps the only piece of Dante Gabriel Rossetti's work where the subject looks as though they might, well, look like themselves rather than a Rossetti Person. Compare his painted portrait of Swinburne, where you can clearly tell this isn't Jane Morris—no matter how often he gave her different-coloredhair—but he doesn't make you think "Swinburne!" so much as "Rossetti!"* This is Alexa Wilding, but she and Jane Morris have the same mouth, the same nose. Sigh. I liked Rossetti a lot less once I noticed this tendency . . .
But all is not lost. This is still a pretty damn cool Dante.
*And "Hair!" I swear Rossetti had a thing for hair. Look at his "Lilith" if you had any doubt . . .
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What I also find curious is that this sketch is perhaps the only piece of Dante Gabriel Rossetti's work where the subject looks as though they might, well, look like themselves rather than a Rossetti Person. Compare his painted portrait of Swinburne, where you can clearly tell this isn't Jane Morris—no matter how often he gave her different-colored hair—but he doesn't make you think "Swinburne!" so much as "Rossetti!"* This is Alexa Wilding, but she and Jane Morris have the same mouth, the same nose. Sigh. I liked Rossetti a lot less once I noticed this tendency . . .
But all is not lost. This is still a pretty damn cool Dante.
*And "Hair!" I swear Rossetti had a thing for hair. Look at his "Lilith" if you had any doubt . . .