Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Possibly Alexander Constantine Ionides of 1 Holland Park, London, by 1882;
Mrs Janet Camp Troxell, sold by her executors Christie's, 21 February 1989, lot 102;
Private collection

Virginia Surtees, The Paintings and Drawings of Dante Gabriel Rossetti - A Catalogue Raisonee, 1971, cat.no.179B

STRUCTURE This picture is in good overall condition. The paper has discolured slightly, mainly to the extreme edges. There is a small diagonal repaired tear at the centre of the lower edge below the sleeve - only visible upon close inspection and has been well-conserved and appears stable. FRAME This drawing is contained in a simple gilt reeded frame with a clean mount and under glass.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present drawing depicts Ellen Smith, arguably Rossetti's prettiest model who sat for him several times in the mid-1860s and was popular with many artists, including Albert Moore, Edward Poynter, George Price Boyce and Simeon Solomon, until she was badly beaten by a suitor and no longer able to pose. It was tragic that her beautiful looks were ruined but she had a happy fate; her artist friends helped her to purchase a laundry which gave her a regular income and she eventually married a cabman who she had known since childhood.

Rossetti made two drawings for the watercolour Washing Hands (Christie's, 13 December 2012, lot 17), the other (Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge) showing her with her head bowed forward and both hands together, as in the finished picture. The girl is shown washing her hands, a symbolic act denoting the end of a relationship. The same pose had been adopted in Lucretia Borgia of 1860 (Tate) and was repeated ten years later in La Bella Mano (Wilmington, Delaware). The cistern shown in all these pictures and the present drawing, was owned by Rossetti's friend Murray Marks and is now at Wightwick Manor in Wolverhampton (National Trust).

This drawing was owned by Janet Camp Troxell (1897-1988), a collector and Rossetti scholar who was one of the editors of the correspondence of Rossetti and Jane Morris. It is thought that the drawing was originally in the collection of Alexander Constantine Ionides, a banker and Greek consul-general, who befriended many artists in the Pre-Raphaelite and Aesthetic movements.