Roman Widow
Artist
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
(British, 1828 - 1882)
Date1874
Object number60.0149
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionsframe: 56 x 51 1/8 x 3 3/4 in. (142.2 x 129.9 x 9.5 cm)
41 1/2 x 36 1/2 in. (105.4 x 92.7 cm)
41 1/2 x 36 1/2 in. (105.4 x 92.7 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineMuseo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc.
Collections
On View
Not on viewDescriptionIn 'The Roman Widow', Dante Gabriel Rossetti, founding member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, crafted an image of a widow performing a musical eulogy for her deceased husband. The inscription on the tombstone depicted in the upper right reads: “To the deities of the Underworld, Papiria Gemina has made this for her dearest husband, Lucius Aelius Aquinus: Hail, master, and farewell, master.” Rossetti based his figure on a drawing he made of one of his favorite models, Alexa Wilding (1847–1884). The work shows the imprint of Italian Renaissance art, especially the influence of Titianesque Venetian portraiture. It also reveals Rossetti’s fascination with the classical world’s art and culture. The artist modeled the marble cinerary urn after one he owned.
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