Fair Rosamund (1861)

Rossetti, Dante Gabriel (1828-1882)

Fair Rosamund
1861
Oil on canvas, 51.9 x 41.7 cm
National Museum WalesCardiff

Fair Rosamund (d.c.1176) was the mistress of Henry II. She appears here behind a balustrade in the royal manor of Woodstock. The red silk cord in her hand, according to legend, warned of her lover’s approach. The sitter, Fanny Cornforth, was a frequent model of Rossetti‘s. She became his housekeeper after the death of his wife Elizabeth Siddal in 1862. (NMW)

Compare:

De Morgan, Evelyn (1855-1919)
Queen Eleanor and the Fair Rosamund
Probably 19011902
De Morgan Collection

 

 

Scott, William Bell (1811-1890)
Fair Rosamond Alone in Her Bower
c.1853
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and MuseumGlasgow

 

 

Scott, William Bell (1811-1890)
Fair Rosamund in her Bower
after 1854
Private collection

 

 

Waterhouse, John William (1849-1917)
Fair Rosamund
1916
National Museum WalesCardiff

 

 

See also:

Clifford, Rosamund (c.1140-c.1176) | Cornforth, Fanny (1835-1909) | Henry II, King of England (1133-1189)