#pre raphaelitism

The Storm Sirits by Evelyn De Morgan (1900, oil on canvas)

Angel of Death by Evelyn De Morgan (1897, watercolour on paper)

Daughters of the Mist by Evelyn De Morgan (19th-20th century, oil on canvas)

Moonbeams dipping into the Sea by Evelyn De Morgan (19th-20th century, oil on canvas)

Edward Burne-Jones, 1877

Water Willow was a signature acquisition for the donor Samuel Bancroft. It encapsulates the aspects of Pre-Raphaelitism that were most attractive to him: it is an exquisitely executed painting of a beautiful woman, and it has an underlying real-life story that involves romantic subterfuge. The painting depicts Jane Morris, the wife of Rossetti’s good friend William Morris. Kelmscott Manor, the home that Morris and Rossetti jointly leased during the summer of 1871, is shown in the left background. It was during this summer that Rossetti and Jane became romantically attached. This painting documents the passion they shared.