Dante Gabriel Rossetti

New York: Abbeville Press Publishers, 1989. Cloth, 256 pages, illustrations (some colour); 34 cm. Firm binding, clean inside copy. Age toning. Stated First edition. Dust jacket, with light edgewear, protected in a mylar book cover. OVERSIZE! No priority/international, except by special arrangement. Richly illustrated with colour plates. "Composed of luscious reproductions, telling details, and graceful ornamentation, [this is] the first illustrated monograph devoted to the uniquely talented Dante Gabriel Rossetti. One of Victorian England's most flamboyant artists, Rossetti painted and wrote with equal passion. This ardor extended to his personal life, and often art and life intermingled as he immortalized his many loves in voluptuous and provocative images. The melodrama of Rossetti's life, darkened by rumors of suicide, adultery, and addiction, has often overshadowed his striking accomplishments as a painter. This evocative portrayal of his life and his art vividly captures the lush colors, elaborate narratives, and sheer magnetism of his canvases. It also provides a clear and candid account of the artist that carefully untangles fact from myth. Chronicling Rossetti's career from his early achievements as a founder of the tremendously influential Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood to the grandly unorthodox images of his final years, author Alicia Craig Faxon skillfully weaves in quotes from the artist and his contemporaries, bringing to life Rossetti's charisma and creativity. Family reminiscences from Rossetti's great-grandniece, Helen Guglielmini, provide an engaging complement to Dr. Faxon's astute scholarship. / Alicia Craig Faxon is Professor of Art History, Emerita, from Simmons College, Boston, where she also served as chair of the Department of Art and Music and was holder of the Alumnae Chair in the Humanities. She received a B.A. in history from Vassar, an M.A. in history from Radcliffe, and both an M.A. and Ph.D. in art history from Boston University. Simmons College awarded her the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters in 1998. She has published numerous articles on Rossetti and several catalogs on far-ranging topics in nineteenth- and twentieth-century art." - Publisher. CONTENTS: The early years; The pre-Raphaelite brotherhood; Criticism, success, and dissolution; Medievalism; New friends; Rossetti and Ruskin; The end of a dream; Venetian paintings and Lilliputian patrons; Jane Morris; The late work; Summing up. . 1st. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. Folio. Collectible.