The Blessed Damozel "The Blessed Damozel": The Painting

When Rossetti first published "The Blessed Damozel" in 1850, he intended for it to be accompanied by a painting of that same damozel. He didn't end up making a painting of the damozel until 1871, however, when William Graham commissioned it in 1871. (In the "Related Links" section of this guide, you'll find a link to an image of the painting as well as a few descriptions). The most interesting thing about the painting is that it is surrounded by a golden frame, which invokes the "gold bar" that the damozel leans against in the poem. The painting is also separated into two parts via a predella, and we are able to see the damozel's lover on Earth as well as her melancholy face while she waits for him in Heaven. As a whole, this painting is a fascinating look into what it takes to transform a poem into a work of visual art; what is left out, what is added, and what stays the same. Behind the damozel in the painting, we see kissing lovers, which torment her as she waits for her lover. There is a physical piece of the frame that separates the damozel from her lover in this work, which adds to the feeling of desperation and dread. Both the damozel and her lover are intimately close to each other and yet infinitely far away.