Proserpine

Dante Gabriel Rossetti completed this image of the Roman goddess in 1874, depicting her in the underworld holding a pomegranate. The model was Jane Morris, wife of William Morris and Rossetti's obsession. Her dark hair, pale skin, and long neck became defining features of Pre-Raphaelite beauty.

Rossetti painted eight versions of this subject, each with Jane as model. The myth resonated with their situation. Proserpine was trapped in the underworld after eating pomegranate seeds, just as Jane seemed trapped in her marriage to Morris while drawn to Rossetti. She spent summers with Rossetti at Kelmscott Manor and winters with her husband.

The frame, designed by Rossetti himself, features roundels that echo the sliced pomegranate in her hand. This seventh version, painted for patron Frederick Leyland, replaced an earlier one damaged in transit. It now hangs at Tate Britain in London.