Today is the anniversary of the birth of another Pre-Raphaelite Sister, the artist and poet, Elizabeth Siddal (25 July 1829 -11 February 1862).
Perhaps best known as the model for the painting Ophelia, 1852, by Sir John Everett Millais, or as one of the PRB “stunners”, or as wife and muse of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, or as the doomed heroine of her own tragically short life, Elizabeth Siddal was also a gifted artist in her own right. Her works were admired and acquired by John Ruskin in her lifetime and she was the only female artist whose work was included in the Pre-Raphaelites exhibition at 4 Russell Place, Fitzroy Square, London, in 1857. We can only speculate on what she could have achieved had she lived longer.I’m very excited to see The Rossettis at Tate Britain in September. Focusing on Dante Gabriel Rossetti, his sister, renowned poet Christina Rossetti, and Elizabeth Rossetti (née Siddal), the exhibition gathers together the most comprehensive collection of Elizabeth Siddal’s work in over 30 years, including rarely seen watercolours and key drawings.
Meanwhile, much closer to home, a small selection of her exquisite drawings are currently on view at the Art Gallery of Ballarat in Pre-Raphaelites: Drawings & watercolours from the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. The exhibition runs to 6 August.
I’ve long been captivated by Elizabeth Siddal’s work and to varying degrees her influence has infiltrated many of my own paintings and works on paper, including Foreign Flora, linocut, 15 x 11.5 cm. (Pictured top). The tattoo is is based on a floral motif in an embroidered table cover designed by May Morris.
Limited numbers from this series are available in the Art Gallery of Ballarat shop throughout the exhibition’s run.
Pictured above: Ophelia, 1852, by Sir John Everett Millais, oil on canvas. Collection: Tate Britain. (Public domain).
Pictured above: Self-portrait by Elizabeth Siddal, 1854, oil on canvas, 9-inch circle. Private collection. (Public domain). This intimate, introspective painting of the artist as she saw herself is a far cry from her portrayals as a PRB “stunner” or, as she has been described in more recent times, “the world’s first supermodel”.
