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Beata Beatrix

Serene red-haired woman, framed with allegorical symbols of red bird, sundial.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • Serene red-haired woman, framed with allegorical symbols of red bird, sundial.

Date:

1871–72

Artist:

Dante Gabriel Rossetti (English, 1828–1882)

About this artwork

Both a poet and a painter, Dante Gabriel Rossetti was a founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a circle of Victorian artists who were united in their regard for medieval aesthetics. Named after the thirteenth-century poet Dante Alighieri, Rossetti found inspiration for Beata Beatrix in his namesake’s La vita nuova (The New Life; 1295). Rossetti’s scene draws a parallel between Dante’s love for the late Beatrice and his own affection for his recently deceased wife and muse, Elizabeth Siddal. While this picture is a tribute to Siddal, Rossetti was adamant that it does not represent her death. Rather, the work portrays her as if in a trance or altered spiritual state.

Rossetti’s symbolism combines details from his personal life with those from La Vita Nuova. “The Dove” was the artist’s nickname for Siddal, and a haloed dove delivers her a white poppy, a symbol of laudanum—a derivative of opium—which caused her death by overdose. Above rises the Ponte Vecchio, the Florentine bridge that served as the setting of Dante’s poem. To the upper left is the personification of Love and to the right the figure of Dante, who doubles as a representation of Rossetti himself. The sundial shadows the number nine, the age Dante first saw Beatrice as well as the hour and day of her death. Rossetti designed the frame, and at the top right he inscribed, “How doth the city sit solitary.” This quote from La Vita Nuova refers to the city of Florence’s mourning of Beatrice.

Given the deeply personal nature of the work, Rossetti initially refused his patron William Graham’s request to create a replica, although he eventually yielded. The Art Institute’s painting is this second version, which is the only one to have a predella—the painted scene at the bottom of the frame—depicting Beatrice and Dante’s reunion in paradise. With this addition, Rossetti provides the medieval love story with a happy conclusion, perhaps suggesting that he, too, had begun to come to terms with his own profound grief.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Title

Beata Beatrix

Place

England (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1871–1872

Medium

Oil on canvas

Inscriptions

Inscribed on frame: JUN: DIE 9 ANNO 1290 (top left); QUOMODO SEDET SOLA CIVITAS! (top right); MART: DIE 31 ANNO 1300 / VENI, SPONSA, DE LIBANO. (bottom)

Dimensions

87.5 × 69.3 cm (34 7/16 × 27 1/4 in.); Predella: 26.5 × 69.2 cm (10 7/16 × 27 1/4 in.); Framed: 156.2 × 102.9 cm (61 1/2 × 40 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Charles L. Hutchinson Collection

Reference Number

1925.722

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/16551/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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