Ecce Ancilla Domini
| Ecce Ancilla Domini | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Dante Gabriel Rossetti |
| Year | 1850 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 73 cm × 41.9 cm (29 in × 16.5 in) |
| Location | Tate Britain, London |
Ecce Ancilla Domini (
The title is more correctly Ecce Ancilla Domini!, but many sources ignore the exclamation mark.
Composition
Rossetti deliberately used a limited colour range for this oil painting. The predominance of white, symbolic of virginity, is complemented by vibrant blue (a colour associated with
History
The artist's sister,
This painting received mixed reviews. The most obvious break with tradition was Rossetti's choice of placing Mary in bed - her long nightgown suggestive of a newly-wed bride - woken by the angel, who is normally depicted appearing as Mary prays. Also controversial were Gabriel's lack of wings (the flames at his feet suggest a
The painting was first exhibited in April 1850 at the Old Portland Gallery on Regent Street. Francis McCracken, a well known Pre-Raphaelite patron, bought it in 1853 for £50 and the Tate Gallery purchased it in 1886. In February 2013 it was not on display. The painting was on display at the National Gallery of Australia from December 2018 to April 2019 as part of the ‘Love & Desire: Pre-Raphaelite Masterpieces from the Tate’ exhibition.[4][5] As of 2023 it is on display at Tate Britain as part of 'The Rossettis' exhibition running until September 2023.
See also
- List of paintings by Dante Gabriel Rossetti
- Rossetti and His Circle by Max Beerbohm
- Rossetti-Polidori family tree
References
- ^ Luke 1:38: "dixit autem Maria ecce ancilla Domini fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum et discessit ab illa angelus".
- ^ V. Surtees. Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Vol.I, Oxford: Clarendon Press (1971).
- ^ J. Treuherz, E. Prettejohn, and E. Becker. Dante Gabriel Rossetti. London: Thames & Hudson (2003).
- ^ Rossetti's Ecce Ancilla Domini Archived 15 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Smarthistory, accessed December 28, 2012.
- ^ Ecce Ancilla Domini! (The Annunciation) 1849-50, Tate Gallery, accessed February 3, 2012.
Further reading
- Surtees, Virginia. (1971) Dante Gabriel Rossetti. 2 vols. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- ISBN 978-1-85793-950-7.
- Doughty, Oswald (1949) A Victorian Romantic: Dante Gabriel Rossetti London: Frederick Muller
- Fredeman, William E. (Ed.) (2002-8) The correspondence of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. 7 Vols. Brewer, Cambridge.
- Hilto, Timoth (1970). The Pre-Raphelites. London: Thames and Hudson, New York: Abrams.
- Dinah Roe: The Rossettis in Wonderland. A Victorian Family History. Haus Publishing, London 2011, ISBN 978-1-907822-01-8.
- Rossetti, D. G. The House Of Life
- Treuherz, Julian, ISBN 0-500-09316-4.
- Todd, Pamela (2001). Pre-Raphaelites at Home, New York: Watson-Giptill Publications, ISBN 0-8230-4285-5.
External links
- The Rossetti Archive
- Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery's Pre-Raphaelite Online Resource
- Rossetti's Ecce Ancilla Domini Archived 15 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine, by Ben Pollitt at Smarthistory