The Pre-Raphaelites created some of the most romantic, decorative, and symbolic artworks in British art history. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882) was one of the movement’s founders. Both a painter and a poet, Rossetti’s art was inspired by literature, with sources including Shakespeare, the Bible, and mythology, as well as medieval, Renaissance, and romantic poetry. Often accompanying his paintings are his own verses or poems by other writers.
Famous for depictions of beautiful women, Rossetti used the same models repeatedly in his works. “The Loving Cup,” an oil on panel, and its watercolor copies are representative of Rossetti’s aesthetic.
