Son of Gabriele Rossetti and Frances Polidori. He spoke fluently
Italian as well as English and was educated at King's College
School (1837-1842), F.S. Cary's Academy of Art (1842-1846) and
the Royal Academy Antique School. In 1847 he left school to
concentrate on art. He sent a fan letter to Ford Madox Brown,
whom he admired much. Brown thought Rossetti was being sarcastic
and went to the Rossetti family home to give him a sound trashing.
There he found to his surprise that Rossetti was sincere. Brown
became Rossetti's mentor and their friendship lasted for life.
When he was only eighteen years old, Rossetti wrote
his poem "The Blessed Damozel", in which he stresses the importance
of human love. In 1848 he founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
with William Holman Hunt, John Millais, James Collinson, Thomas
Woolner, Frederic Stephen and his brother William Rossetti.
They published "The Germ", a platform for their poetry and other
art. In 1849 he first exhibited an important painting, "The
Girlhood of Mary Virgin" (now at the Tate Gallery, London).
In 1850 he met Lizzie Siddal, one of the models for
the pre-Raphaelite painters. She became his pupil as well as
his lover and an important source of inspiration. In 1851 they
became engaged. In 1856 he met Edward Burne-Jones, William Morris
and Algernon Swinburne to work on wall paintings for the Oxford
Debating Union. In Oxford he met Jane Burdon. He fell in love
with her, introduced her to William Morris and Morris married
her in 1859.
In spite of affairs with other women,
he eventually married Lizzie Siddal in 1860. When she died in
1862, he buried his collected poetry with her. He painted "Beate
Beatrice" in tribute to Lizzie and in later years he tried to
contact her in seances. In 1869 he wanted his poetry back and
in his absence Lizzie's coffin was opened. The volume was returned
to him and with it reports of the state of her body. He was
attacked from many sides because of this action, but he wrote
to Swinburne that Lizzie would certainly have approved. When
his poems were published, he soon established a reputation as
a poet.
In 1871 his work was criticized severely by
Robert Buchanan in "The Fleshy School of Poetry: Mr. D.G. Rossetti".
Rossetti responded, but in 1872 he broke down mentally as well
as physically. He suffered from hallucinations and inner voices
and was taken to Scotland where he tried to commit suicide.
Rossetti never fully recovered, but soon he was able to paint
again. For many years he took huge doses of whisky and laudanum
to cure insomnia. This worsened of depressions and his health
deteriorated further. Later in life he was interested in spiritualism
and he attended seances. But as early as 1855 he had written
in a letter that he didn't believe in it and he probably remained
a sceptic.
In his last years Rossetti was obsessed
with "Janey" Morris, whose face appears in many of his paintings.
In 1871 William Morris went to Iceland and left Rossetti with
Jane at Kelmscott Manor in Oxfordshire. Jane claimed in later
years that nothing really happened between them, but this seems
hard to believe. Beyond dispute is that her daughters Jenny
and May were both very fond of Rossetti. After posing for "Astarte
Syriaca" Jane broke off her liaison with Rossetti whose mental
stability was deteriorating rapidly.
By 1882 he suffered
from Bright's disease and was nursed by Christina and William
Michael in Birchington. His request to see Janey a last time
was ignored by her and he died on April 9th in Birchington.
He was in deep financial debt at the time of his death and his
brother had a hard time to keep the creditors and his model
Fanny Cornforth away from the funeral arrangements. He had stated
that he didn't want to be buried at Highgate Cemetery (where
Lizzie Siddal was buried) and he was laid to rest in Burchington
Churchyard, Kent. Burne-Jones could not face the funeral and
said he was too ill. Janey and William Morris did not come either.
His old friend Ford Madox Brown was in Manchester but he designed
the cross on Rossetti's grave and his daughter Lucy was at the
funeral.
Other models who had posed to Rossetti were
Ruth Herbert, Annie Miller, Alexa Wilding and Marie Spartali,
a talented painter herself.
Family
• Mother: Polidori, Frances
• Father: Rossetti, Gabriele Pasquale Giuseppe
• Wife: Siddal, Elizabeth (1860-1862, Hastings: St. Clements Church)
• Sister: Rossetti, Christina
• Brother: Rossetti, William Michael
Related persons
• was a friend of Allingham, William
• was a friend of Alma-Tadema, Laura Theresa
• was admired by Boyce, George Price
• influenced Burne-Jones, Edward
• was a friend of Cornforth, Fanny
• used as a model Cornforth, Fanny
• was a friend of Deverell, Walter Howell
• was criticized by Eastlake, Elizabeth
• has a connection with Hughes, Arthur
• was a friend of Hunt, William Holman
• has a connection with Lowry, Lawrence Stephen
• was a friend of Madox Brown, Ford
• had a relationship with Miller, Annie
• painted Morris, Jane
• had a relationship with Morris, Jane
• has a connection with Prinsep, Valentine
• used as a model Siddal, Elizabeth
• knew Smetham, James
• was teacher of Spartali Stillman, Marie
• used as a model Spartali Stillman, Marie
• cooperated with Spencer-Stanhope, John Roddam
• was a friend of Whistler, James MacNeill
• influenced Wilde, Oscar
• painted Zambaco, Maria
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