St Cecilia

Artist: Dante Gabriel Rossetti

1857

Proof wood engraving by the Dalziels; pencil annotations by Rossetti

200 x 179 mm, full page dimensions

This touched proof exemplifies the way in which Rossetti sought to create the closest correspondence between his original design and the published engraving. His annotations are written in pencil and he highlights the areas to be revised in white bodycolour. Strangely, he makes no comment on the Dalziels’ major change – showing the angel kissing, rather than just looking, at the saint, as specified by the author and observed by Rossetti in his original drawing. [CLick on the image to enlarge it, and mouse over the text for links.]