New exhibition at historic Black Country house set to feature unseen and newly acquired works by Rossetti family
An exhibition exploring the creative and domestic lives of an exceptionally talented 19th-century English-Italian family of poets, artists, and critics is set to open at an historic home.
The Rossettis: Siblings and Spouses, which explores the family’s creative and domestic life, including the artistic careers of Elizabeth Siddal and Lucy Madox Brown, spouses of Dante Gabriel and William Rossetti, is set to open at Wightwick Manor in Wolverhampton on Saturday.
Visitors can discover the lives of siblings Maria, Dante Gabriel, William and Christina, exploring their parents’ radical Italian roots and their upbringing in London, then the largest metropolis in the world.
The exhibition reveals how this formative environment shaped their later creative achievements as poets, writers and artists.
The Rossettis were crucial not only to the Pre-Raphaelite movement but also to the Mander family story and legacy. Lady Mander, who along with Sir Geoffrey Mander donated Wightwick Manor and Gardens to the National Trust in 1937, actively acquired artwork by the Rossetti family. Descendants of the family visited the house and became friends of the Manders.
Co-curated by Helen Bratt-Wyton, National Trust Property Experiences Curator for West Birmingham, Wolverhampton and the Black Country, and Hannah Squire, freelance curator, the exhibition includes recently acquired and previously unseen works by eldest son Dante Gabriel Rossetti, including his early experiments in lithography, a 19th-century printing process widely used for books and fine art.
Among them is a set of satirical and political playing cards, until recently attributed to the German artist Overbeck.
Displayed throughout the manor, including the Library, Honeysuckle Room and Dining Room, the exhibition brings together new acquisitions and highlights from Wightwick’s own collection.
Visitors will also have the rare opportunity to see early Rossetti drawings created between the ages of 14 and 18, not displayed since 2019, as well as 12 artworks by Elizabeth Siddal, many rarely shown and only once before displayed together, in 2018.
Books written by all four siblings are celebrated in the exhibition, from poetry by Dante Gabriel and Christina Rossetti to the Pre-Raphaelite magazine The Germ, on which the siblings collaborated, and biographies of the family by younger brother William.
In addition to paintings, drawings and illustrations, the exhibition features objects from Dante Gabriel Rossetti's former home at Cheyne Walk in London.
Items on display include books, ceramics and a death mask of Napoleon Bonaparte, an historical figure who particularly fascinated Dante Gabriel.
Helen Bratt-Wyton, National Trust Property Experiences Curator for West Birmingham, Wolverhampton and the Black Country, said: “We’re excited to share new artwork, never before seen at Wightwick Manor and Gardens, and to showcase existing pieces in a new light, allowing visitors to learn more about the stories behind the paintings and the personal lives of the Rossetti family.
"Through the artwork, visitors can see Christina Rossetti who, with her brother Dante Gabriel Rossetti, was known as one of ‘the storms’, grow from a young woman depicted mid-tantrum in one piece to a mature and accomplished poet in another, known for works including ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’, now sung as a hymn and Christmas carol.”
The exhibition runs until November. As part of the Manor house display, entry is included with admission to Wightwick Manor and Gardens and is free for National Trust members.
