la modèle
1872-73. Lady Lilith, Alice Wilding as model.
On peut ne pas s’intéresser qu’aux
papillons, et cette Alexa (forcément maitresse de Rossetti) a de quoi intriguer :
qui est-elle, comment sont ses cheveux roux, quelles ont été ses amours… ?
après le latin, un
peu d’anglais :
Alexa Wilding (born Alice), a
beautiful young girl with auburn hair captivated Dante Gabriel Rossetti with
her elegance and charms ever since he first sat eyes on her in 1865. At the
time they met, Alice, approximately twenty years old at the time, was working
as a dressmaker but dreamed of becoming an actress. Dante spotted her one
evening in the Strand in 1865, and he was immediately struck by her beauty.
Naturally, he proposed her to sit for him, which she accepted but failed to
arrive at his studio the following day. The reason for her absence may have
been the moral dilemma of being a model in the Victorian era.
 |
| lady Lilith, 1867 le miroir reflète le rêve du jardin d'Eden |
 |
| le détail du bracelet rouge |
Rossetti was devastated for he
had been looking for a model with distinct looks for so long ; the beauty he
found in the face of young Alice. Weeks later, he spotted her again and jumped
from the cab he was in and convinced her to follow him to his studio the very
instant. She finally accepted and Dante began paying her a weekly fee to sit
for him as he was so afraid that some other painter might want to hire her as a
model. Alice eventually modeled for more of his finished paintings than any
other of his models, but still she is less known due to the lack of romantic
connection with Rossetti. Nevertheless, the two shared a deep bond and Alice is
said to have visited Rossetti’s grave and placed a wreath on it.
Rossetti first painted « Lady Lilith » in 1866-68. using
Fanny Cornforth as a model, but in 1872-73. He altered it to show the beautiful
face of Alice Wilding. Alice’s features
were considered more refined compared to Fanny’s which were considered too
earthy. In addition, Rossetti saw in Alice’s features the ability to express
both virtue and vice. Who could.
… Vous lisez toujours ? Nous y sommes…
ces peintres alors… !
vertu et vice...!
Be a better model for Lilith,
beautiful yet evil woman, than Alice with her lovely face and massive golden
auburn hair? Alice was described as having ”a
lovely face, beautifully moulded in every feature, full of quiescent, soft,
mystical repose that suited some of his conceptions admirably…” Her
features are easily recognised in Rossetti’s art ; red hair, long neck,
Cupid-bow lips and soft, dreamy eyes….
The Mysterious Alexa Wilding
Vous trouverez la
suite dans le bouquin de Kirsty Stonell Walker
je viens de me faire livrer des bouquins par Amazon
ils ont beau ne pas payer d'impôts en France
mais qu'est-ce que ça fonctionne bien !
(n'ayant pas de charges fiscales, c'est peut-être l'explication ?)
