Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Given by the artist and his sister Christina to their mother Frances Maria Lavinia Polidori Rossetti on the occasion of her 80^th birthday, 27 April 1880;
Thence by descent to her son William Michael Rossetti, by whom bequeathed to his son Gabriel Arthur Rossetti in 1919 and thence to his son Harold Ford Rossetti and by further descent to the present owner

London, Royal Academy and Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery, Dante Gabriel Rossetti - Painter and Poet, 1973, no.365

William Sharp, DGR: A Record and a Study, 1882, repr. frontispiece;
H.C. Marillier, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Illustrated Memorial of his Art and Life, 1899, pp.198, 200, repr. facing p.109;
William Michael Rossetti, The Poems of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, with Illustrations from his own Pictures and Designs, 1904;
Virginia Surtees, The Paintings and Drawings of Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882), A Catalogue Raisonné, 1971, vol. 1, p.153, no. 258;
Maria Theresa Benedetti, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1984, p.338;
Alicia Craig Faxon, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1989, repr. p.214 (from a photograph at Delaware Art Gallery, Wilmington)

This book is in very good condition. The covers are a little worn at the edges and there is a small ink-stain on the lower edge. The bindings are secure and none of the pages are loose. The frontispiece and contents page are slightly stained. The original illustration has been pasted in to the front of the book but could be removed easily. The edges of the page bearing the illustration are lightly discoloured. The letter from DGR is loose whilst Christina's poem is on a sheet pasted in to the back of the book - slightly stained and discoloured.
"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."

Accompanying the book is a letter from the artist to his mother which reads: '27th April 1880, My dearest Mother, It was sweet indeed to me to receive this day, and written in so firm a hand, the reappearance of what was the first thing I learned to know in this world - my mother's love. I wish the little offering had been worthier of such a shrine. I liked Christina's sonnet extremely, - it is lovely in its heartfelt affection. I have no doubt that your discerning eyes plucked out the heart of the mystery in the little design. In it the soul is instituting the "memorial to one dead deathless hour", - a memory easily effected by placing a winged hourglass in a rosebush, at the same time that she touches the fourteen-stringed harp of the sonnet hanging around her neck. On the rose-branches trailing over in the opposite corner is seen hanging the coin which is the second symbol used for the sonnet; its "face" bears the soul, expressed in the butterfly, - its converse the Serpent of Eternity enclosing the Alpha and Omega. All this I doubt not you had seen for yourself. I shall soon be letting you have the ballad of The White Ship, which William on Sunday pronounced one of my very best things. I hope you will think so too. I have made great progress with the Vanna Primavera picture since you saw it. The figure is now full-length and looks very well. Your most loving son Gabriel'