George Meredith, by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

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George Meredith in 1860

Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882)

Source: S. M. Ellis, facing p.110

Meredith sat for the head of Jesus in Rossetti's Mary at the Door of Simon. Commentary continues below.

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In his early biography of Meredith, Ellis writes,

It was owing to his connection with Once a Week, and the artists he thereby came in contact with, that Meredith formed his friendship with Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The latter evidently appreciated his society, for in a letter to Alexander Gilchrist, the art critic, in November, 1861, Rossetti said: "Two or three are coming here on Friday evening at eight or so George Meredith I hope for one. Can you look in? I hope so nothing but oysters and the seediest of clothes." A memorable picture celebrates this new companionship, for Rossetti when painting Mary Magdalene at the Gate of Simon the Pharisee studied the head of Christ from Meredith's face; and this Rossetti portrait is one of the earliest presentments of the poet-novelist in manhood. [109-10]

This head appears from inside the house at the very top right-hand corner of the composition, in the drawing simply entitled "Mary at the Door of Simon." Meredith looks very soulful, as well he might after the trials and tribulations he had been through in his personal life. His first wife, Mary Ellen, from whom he was bitterly estranged, was very ill at this time. She died in October 1861.

Related Material

Rossetti's Mary at the Door of Simon

Bibliography

Ellis, S. M. George Meredith: His life and Friends in Relation to his Work. London: Grant Richards, 1920. Internet Archive. Contributed by Robarts Library, University of Toronto. Web. 12 December 2015.

Last modified 27 June 2020