1872
oil
canvas
From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago
Beata Beatrix is a 1872 oil by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, a Impressionism work, held at Art Institute of Chicago.
This painting shows a woman sitting on a bench, surrounded by flowers and trees. She looks sad and lost in thought. The artist found inspiration in an old Italian poem, which is interesting because it shows how old stories can influence new art. You can learn more about the artist's style by looking at the work of Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
Both a poet and a painter, Dante Gabriel Rossetti was a founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a circle of Victorian artists united in their appreciation of medieval aesthetics and the “primitive” style of pre-Renaissance art. Rossetti found inspiration for Beata Beatrix in La vita nuova (The New Life) , written by his namesake, the Italian poet Dante Alighieri, in 1295. Rossetti’s scene draws a parallel between Dante’s love for the late Beatrice and his own aff ection for his recently deceased wife and muse, Elizabeth Siddal. While the picture is a tribute to Siddal, Rossetti was adamant…
Commissioned by William Graham, London (1817-1885), 1871 [letter from Graham to the artist, Jan. 1, 1871; published in Garnett 2000]; sold, his estate sale, Christie's, London, Apr. 3, 1886, lot 116 as Beata Beatrice to MacKenzie [probably Kenneth Muir MacKenzie; according to annotated sale catalogue and Agnews Picture Stockbook, 1885–1891, no. 3861, National Gallery Research Centre, London; copies in curatorial object file]; sold to Thomas Agnews and Sons, London, Sep. 1886 [Agnews Picture Stockbook, 1885–1891, no. 4196, National Gallery Research Centre, London; copy in curatorial object…
London, Burlington Fine Arts Club, Pictures, Designs, and Studies by the Late Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1883, cat. 83. Philadelphia Academy of the Fine Arts, Examples of the English Pre-Raphaelite School of Painters, including Rossetti, Burne-Jones, Madox-Brown and others, together with a Collection of the Works of William Blake, December 8, 1892, cat. 115. St. Louis, Louisiana Purchase Exposition, see Official Catalogue of Exhibits: Universal Exposition, St. Louis, Department B: Art, Group 13, Loan Collection, 1904, cat. 115. Buffalo, New York, Albright Art Gallery, Inaugural Loan Exhibition,…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti ( rə-ZET-ee; Italian: ), was an English poet, illustrator, painter and translator.
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