Fair Rosamund - Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Archival giclée
Frames arrive ready to hang
Secure checkout
Made to order
Description
A portrait of Rosamund Clifford, mistress of King Henry II, painted by Dante Gabriel Rossetti in 1861.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti painted Fair Rosamund in 1861, a work that captures the aesthetic sensibilities of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The subject is Rosamund Clifford, the mistress of King Henry II, who is often associated with the legend of the labyrinth at Woodstock. Rossetti depicts her with his characteristic focus on feminine beauty, featuring a model with flowing auburn hair and a pale complexion.
The composition is tight, framing the figure against a background of bullseye glass panes. This choice of setting provides a sense of enclosure, reflecting the narrative of Rosamund being hidden away from Queen Eleanor. The figure holds a sprig of rose, a visual pun on her name, while a red thread winds across the foreground, alluding to the silken cord used to guide the King through the maze. The gold necklace and the floral pattern of her dress demonstrate the attention to decorative detail that defined Rossetti's work during this period.
Technically, the painting displays the precise brushwork and clear colour palette favoured by the Pre-Raphaelites. The light is soft, illuminating the subject's face and highlighting the texture of her skin and hair. The inclusion of the rose and the thread adds a layer of symbolic narrative, typical of the literary and historical themes the artist explored throughout his career. This piece remains a clear example of the romanticised historical portraiture that defined the mid-Victorian era, focusing on the emotional and visual impact of the individual figure rather than broad historical action. The work is currently held in the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff.
Return policy
Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
Shipping
We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Fair Rosamund - Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Artist Biography
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
He was born in London to an Italian political exile and named after the author of the Divine Comedy. His father was a professor of Italian at King's College. The household ran on poetry, politics, and argument. Rossetti wrote verse throughout his life and considered himself a poet as much as a painter.
His early paintings are small, bright, and meticulously detailed in the Pre-Raphaelite manner. The Girlhood of Mary Virgin and Ecce Ancilla Domini have the flat, jewelled quality of medieval altarpieces. After 1860 the style changed. The paintings became larger, more sensual, and dominated by the face and figure of Jane Burden, who was William Morris's wife.
The relationship between Rossetti, Morris, and Jane is one of the more uncomfortable triangles in art history. Morris married her. Rossetti painted her obsessively. She modelled for Proserpine, La Pia de' Tolomei, and dozens of other works in which she appears as a mythological woman trapped in an unwanted situation. Whether the affair was physical remains debated. Morris, characteristically, said nothing publicly and channelled his feelings into wallpaper.
Rossetti buried a manuscript of his poems in his wife Lizzie Siddal's coffin when she died of a laudanum overdose in 1862. Seven years later he had the coffin exhumed to retrieve them. He published the poems. He was addicted to chloral hydrate by then and increasingly paranoid. He died in 1882, at fifty-three.
Why Choose Us ?
Damage-free delivery guarantee
Fast Shipping
Museum-Quality Materials
You May Also Like