Loading

Mnemosyne

Dante Gabriel Rossetti1881/1881

Delaware Art Museum

Delaware Art Museum
Wilmington, DE, United States

This painting, much like Rossetti’s earlier composition of Beata Beatrix (see the Museum's copy of this composition by Charles Fairfax Murray) can be interpreted as a memorial to a past love, in this case, Jane Morris, the wife of William Morris, with whom he had an affair in the 1870s. The title, Mnemosyne, refers to the goddess of memory and the mother of the muses, a poignant symbol of the importance of his relationship with Jane Morris. It was originally to be called Ricordanza, a slightly archaic form of the Italian word for remembrance. This earlier title is just barely visible at the upper left, where it has been covered over with paint. As is always the case in Rossetti’s “double works,” the inscription on the frame reinforces the theme conveyed in the image:

Thou fill’st from the winged chalice of the Soul
Thy lamp, O Memory, fire-winged to its goal.

Show lessRead more
  • Title: Mnemosyne
  • Creator Lifespan: 1828/1882
  • Creator Nationality: British
  • Creator Gender: Male
  • Creator Death Place: Birchington, England
  • Creator Birth Place: London, England
  • Date: 1881/1881
  • Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings: DGR AD 1881 (LLC)
  • Physical Dimensions: w24 x h49.75 in (Complete)
  • Painter: Dante Gabriel Rossetti
  • Credit Line: Samuel and Mary R. Bancroft Memorial, 1935
  • Provenance: Photograph and digital image © Delaware Art Museum. Not for reproduction or publication.
  • Type: Paintings
  • Rights: Photograph and digital image © Delaware Art Museum. Not for reproduction or publication.
  • External Link: http://emuseum.delart.org:8080/emuseum/view/objects/asitem/items$0040:280
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
Delaware Art Museum

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites