While the V&A seems to be known for its more creative exhibitions, like Dior: Designer of Dreams, their traditional art collection is also quite impressive. The art galleries are open and soaring, and everyone should wander through them. The Pre-Raphaelites have fascinated me since I learned of them in my undergraduate days. And what do you know, I happened to spot a Pre-Raphaelite painting there. Dante Gabriel Rossetti was one of the founding members of the group. You can see Rossetti’s The Day Dream at the V&A on your next trip.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, along with William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais, formed the Pre-Raphaelites in 1848. They believed that the academy, and art in general, needed to return to the time before Raphael. They were known for their vibrant and lush paintings that were rich in detail. And as one could imagine, they caused quite a stir in the respectable art world. However, I think that is what makes them more interesting.
As soon as I saw Rossetti’s The Day Dream in gallery 81 (should you want to find it yourself), I knew what I was looking at. Yes, all of the paintings at the V&A are beautiful, but The Day Dream looks like it is in technicolour. This was Rossetti’s last finished painting, and has quite an interesting story behind it. The woman you see in the painting is Jane Morris, wife of architect William Morris. And Rossettii happened to be having an affair with her… According to the V&A,
He shows her sitting in the branches of a sycamore tree and holding a sprig of honeysuckle. This sweet-smelling climbing plant symbolised the bonds of love for the Victorians, and Rossetti may have included it here as a subtle reference to the relationship between artist and model. Rossetti was also a poet, and the title relates to his poem of the same name which ends: She dreams; till now on her forgotten book/Drops the forgotten blossom from her hand.
There is always a good story behind Pre-Raphaelite works. And if you are also interested in them, I would recommend the BBC’s 2009 show Desperate Romantics. It features Poldark‘s Aidan Turner and Pride and Prejudice‘s Tom Hollander, and is good fun.
Have you seen Rossetti’s The Day Dream?
Cheers,
The Historian
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