The whole strikes a sombre note apart from its symbolic representation through its delicious purple harmony. The city in the sunset light in the distance, supposed to be Florence, is very like London in atmospheric effect. Beatrice is seen sitting at the balcony against the sunset background, with the light playing round her golden auburn hair, in fashion suggesting an aureole. She is dressed in green with dull purple sleeves. A bright red bird holding in its beak a dim purple poppy, emblem of death, is flying towards her. In the misty distance the figures of Dante and Love are watching her. Rossetti painted in 1872 a replica of that picture, adding to the main subject the meeting of Dante and Beatrice in Paradise, with maidens bearing instruments of music. He was rather reluctant to send out that replica, but the unwillingness was overcome. He painted several others, none of them being equal in quality to the original.
In 1863 Rossetti painted an oil picture called “Helen of Troy,” and the last of the St. George subjects, representing St. George killing the dragon, which is a water-colour version of the stained-glass series. Then come three small subjects, “Belcolore,” a girl in a circular frame biting a rosebud. Of this there is a red chalk study and a water-colour version, “Brimfull,” a water-colour showing a lady stooping to sip from a full glass, and a picture called “A Lady in Yellow.”
Rossetti now gave up painting those quaint little romantic subjects so intense in literary feeling and dramatic expression, and devoted himself to large single figures upon a background of rich accessories.
When a painter makes a single figure the central interest of his picture, he must, to a certain extent, avail himself of psychological facts in the model before him, for if he recognises no limits to the foreign sentiment and character he may impose, he will, little by little, fall to the creation of a type which is not far short of a monstrosity. Although the first of his pictures in this new style are among his finest works we see this inevitable degeneration in Rossetti’s latest paintings.
The first pictures of this kind and some of the best are, “Fazio’s Mistress,” and “Lady Lilith.” The former is dated 1863, but was altered and repainted ten years later, and Rossetti changed its title to “Aurelia.” In 1864 he painted the latter which is a modern conception of that first wife of Adam mentioned in the old Talmudic Legend. The Lady Lilith is seated against a background covered with roses. Dressed in white, she holds a mirror in her hand, and combs her long fair hair. Although dated 1864 it was really not finished until 1867. The face as it is now was repainted in 1873 from a different model, and is said to be quite inferior to the former one. Rossetti at that time seemed to be a victim of a mania for repainting his earlier work.
The next great picture, begun in 1864, is “Venus Verticordia,” the oil version of which was not finished before 1868. It represents the nude bust of a massively built woman surrounded by roses and honeysuckle. She holds an arrow in her right hand and in the left an apple on which a yellow butterfly has alighted. The face is conventionally pretty and lacks character.
“Morning Music,” an elaborate little water-colour; “Monna Pomona,” a girl holding an apple with roses on her lap and in a basket at her side; “How Sir Galahad, Sir Bors, and Sir Percival received the Holy Grael” (done in his earlier manner); “Roman de la Rose,” a water-colour version of the earlier panel, and “The Madness of Ophelia,” represent the remaining production of 1864.
There is little to mention in 1865. The most important productions of that year were “The Blue Bower,” and “The Merciless Lady.” In the “Merciless Lady,” a water-colour in the style of his earlier romantic manner, a man sits on a bank of turf between two maidens, with a sunlit meadow behind. He seems attracted by the one on his left who is fair and plays a lute, the other, his lady love, holds his hand and with a sad expression tries to win him back to her. “A Fight for a Woman,” the composition of which is of a very early date, and the oil-painting, “Bella e Buona,” but renamed “Il Ramoscello,” were also painted in 1865.
After these came “The Beloved,” finished in 1866, but worked again in 1873, this time without being spoiled. In writing to the owner of this picture Rossetti said: “I mean it to be like jewels,” and he carried out his intention. In the middle of the picture is the fair-haired bride radiant in rich stuffs, her gown is green, with large sleeves embroidered in gold and red. She is surrounded by four dark-haired maidens, on the foreground a little negro, adorned with a head-band and a necklace showing the beautiful invention of Rossetti’s taste in decorative art, is holding a golden vase of roses.
Next comes the “Monna Vanna,” which represents a lady dressed in a magnificent embroidered robe with large sleeves, holding a fan of black and yellow plumes. Her luxuriant hair is falling from each side of her face on to her shoulders, a bunch of roses is seen in a vase on the left top corner of the picture.