Rare works by Rossetti are exhibited

Rossetti’s Obsession: Images of Jane Morris will gather together rarely displayed paintings and chalk drawings by the Pre-Raphaelite painter. It will also show photographs of Jane, including a number in which she poses for possible paintings for Rossetti.

The exhibition, being staged on the centenary of Jane’s death, will be at the Bradford Council-run Cartwright Hall Art Gallery from Saturday, March 15, until Sunday, June 1.

Central to the exhibition are a number of works that form a major strand in Rossetti’s mid-to-late painting, including Proserpine (1882), widely regarded as one of the defining images of the Pre-Raphaelite era and is based on the myth of the goddess, who was abducted by Pluto and trapped in the underworld after eating pomegranate seeds.

Coun Susan Hinchcliffe, the council’s executive member responsible for culture, said yesterday: “This fascinating exhibition will offer a unique opportunity to see some works that have rarely been seen before in public.”