views.

At Christmas 1855 Burne-Jones came up to London and was introduced to Rossetti, whom he and Morris admired greatly. Rossetti contributed “The Burden of Nineveh,” and a little altered version of “The Blessed Damozel” to the “Oxford and Cambridge Magazine,” the organ of William Morris.

One year later Burne-Jones and Morris settled in London in rooms at 17 Red Lion Square. Both young men were soon completely under Rossetti’s influence, and their studio became a sort of centre for all members of his circle. There, in order to furnish and decorate these rooms, the first essays in designing furniture were made. Rossetti painted a pair of panels for a cabinet. He made use of the subject of his early pen-and-ink drawing, “The Salutation of Beatrice,” representing, in two divisions, Dante meeting Beatrice in Florence and again in Paradise, with a figure of Love standing between them in the midst of symbols. Besides those panels Rossetti painted on the backs of two arm-chairs, “Gwendolen in the Witch-tower” and the “Arming of a Knight,” both subjects from poems by William Morris.

To 1857 belongs the charming series of water-colours acquired by William Morris: “The Damsel of the St. Grael,” “The Death of Breuse sans pitié,” “The Chapel before the Lists,” “The Tune of Seven Towers,” and “The Blue Closet.” The two last were special favourites with Morris who used their romantic titles for two of his poems. This year also, he painted the “Wedding of St. George,” “The Gate of Memory,” “The Garden Bower,” and a “Christmas Carol.”

During the vacation of 1857 Rossetti went to Oxford with Morris to visit the architect, Benjamin Woodward, who was constructing a debating-hall for the Union Society. Rossetti saw an opportunity for mural decoration, and arrangements were made with the building committee in charge that seven artists including Rossetti, Burne-Jones, and Morris, should undertake the decoration gratuitously, the Union only defraying their expenses at Oxford and providing all necessary material. Rossetti took for subjects, “Launcelot asleep before the Chapel of the Sanc Grael” and “Sir Galahad, Sir Bors, and Sir Percival, receiving the Sanc Grael.” Before the pictures were finished they began to fade, the walls having been badly prepared and Rossetti’s designs were never completed.

While at Oxford, in the summer of 1857, at the theatre, Rossetti was very much impressed one night by the striking beauty of Miss Burden, the daughter of an Oxford resident. He obtained an introduction in order to ask for sittings. A pen-and-ink head called “Queen Guinevere,” probably meant to replace the earlier studies done for “Launcelot at the Shrine,” was the first result of the new acquaintance. Several years later, after the death of his wife, Miss Burden, then Mrs. William Morris, again sat to Rossetti for several of his important pictures.

IV

On the 23rd of May 1860, the long delayed marriage of Rossetti to Miss Siddal took place in St. Clement’s Church, Hastings, and the married couple went to Paris for their honeymoon. While staying there Rossetti did two pen-and-ink drawings one of which called “How they meet themselves,” was done to replace the one made in 1851 and lost; the other representing a scene from the “Life of Johnson” by Boswell, quite an unusual subject for the artist. To the same year belongs the picture representing Lucrezia Borgia washing her hands after preparing poison for her husband the Duke Alphonso of Bisceglia.

In 1861 Rossetti’s translation from the Italian poets was at last published with the “Vita Nuova” in a volume entitled “The Italian Poets from Cuillo d’Alcamo to Dante Alighieri (1100, 1200, 1300).” The painter poet was enabled to publish this book through Messrs. Smith, Elder & Co. by the generous assistance of Ruskin who advanced £100 to the publisher, but the sale of the first edition was only just sufficient to pay that sum back, leaving a balance of about £10 to the author. He proposed to etch for the frontispiece a charming design of which various pen-and-ink versions exist, but being displeased with the plate he destroyed it. In the same year he painted a small portrait of his wife called “Regina Cordium.” The head with ruddy hair hanging loose on the shoulders against a gold background, fills nearly all the canvas and a hand is seen on the left side of the picture holding a pansy. More than one replica of that portrait exists, and several heads from different sitters are called “Regina Cordium.” Another important production of the year is “Cassandra.” The subject is a scene on the walls of Troy before Hector’s last battle. He has been warned in vain by the prophetess, who is seen leaning against a pillar, tearing her clothes in despair. Hector is rushing down the steps, and the whole composition is full of soldiers, every space being filled with some incident related to the central subject, giving that aspect of concentrated composition so special to Rossetti.

The two years following his marriage (1860-1862) were amongst the most prolific of Rossetti’s life both in ideas and invention. Besides “Cassandra” he planned the composition for a large picture which was commissioned but never finished, representing Perseus with the Medusa’s head; and he made the first pencil studies for his famous “Beata Beatrix.”

With 1862 is associated the water-colour, “Bethlehem Gate.” It is also about this time (1861-1862) that the now famous firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. was established with the co-operation of William Morris, Faulkner, Burne-Jones, Madox Brown, Webb, and others as active members.

The idea of the commercial attempt on the artistic lines to reform the art of decoration and furniture-making was, says Mr. Mackail, largely due to Madox Brown, but perhaps more to Rossetti, who, in spite of his artistic qualities, was a very good business man and had the scent of a trained financier for anything likely to pay. The little band of original artists and designers took in hand tapestry, furniture, wall papers, stained-glass, and later on, carpet weaving and dyeing. The terms under which they worked were very simple. Each member was to be paid for the work commissioned by the firm, and the profits were to be divided in a proper ratio at the end.

The new firm had plenty to do owing to the demand for ritual decorations caused by the Anglo-Catholic movement. Amongst the first commissions were those for adorning two new churches then being built—St. Martin-on-the-Hill, Scarborough, and St. Michael at Brighton. For the first one Rossetti made a design for two pulpit panels and several windows.

In dealing with stained-glass Rossetti who was specially gifted as a decorator, understood his medium, and in making his design took into account all the limitations of the