On the 23rd of May 1860, the long delayed marriage of Rossetti to Miss Siddal took place in St. Clement’s Church, Hastings, and the married couple went to Paris for their honeymoon. While staying there Rossetti did two pen-and-ink drawings one of which called “How they meet themselves,” was done to replace the one made in 1851 and lost; the other representing a scene from the “Life of Johnson” by Boswell, quite an unusual subject for the artist. To the same year belongs the picture representing Lucrezia Borgia washing her hands after preparing poison for her husband the Duke Alphonso of Bisceglia.

In 1861 Rossetti’s translation from the Italian poets was at last published with the “Vita Nuova” in a volume entitled “The Italian Poets from Cuillo d’Alcamo to Dante Alighieri (1100, 1200, 1300).” The painter poet was enabled to publish this book through Messrs. Smith, Elder & Co. by the generous assistance of Ruskin who advanced £100 to the publisher, but the sale of the first edition was only just sufficient to pay that sum back, leaving a balance of about £10 to the author. He proposed to etch for the frontispiece a charming design of which various pen-and-ink versions exist, but being displeased with the plate he destroyed it. In the same year he painted a small portrait of his wife called “Regina Cordium.” The head with ruddy hair hanging loose on the shoulders against a gold background, fills nearly all the canvas and a hand is seen on the left side of the picture holding a pansy. More than one replica of that portrait exists, and several heads from different sitters are called “Regina Cordium.” Another important production of the year is “Cassandra.” The subject is a scene on the walls of Troy before Hector’s last battle. He has been warned in vain by the prophetess, who is seen leaning against a pillar, tearing her clothes in despair. Hector is rushing down the steps, and the whole composition is full of soldiers, every space being filled with some incident related to the central subject, giving that aspect of concentrated composition so special to Rossetti.

The two years following his marriage (1860-1862) were amongst the most prolific of Rossetti’s life both in ideas and invention. Besides “Cassandra” he planned the composition for a large picture which was commissioned but never finished, representing Perseus with the Medusa’s head; and he made the first pencil studies for his famous “Beata Beatrix.”

With 1862 is associated the water-colour, “Bethlehem Gate.” It is also about this time (1861-1862) that the now famous firm of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. was established with the co-operation of William Morris, Faulkner, Burne-Jones, Madox Brown, Webb, and others as active members.

The idea of the commercial attempt on the artistic lines to reform the art of decoration and furniture-making was, says Mr. Mackail, largely due to Madox Brown, but perhaps more to Rossetti, who, in spite of his artistic qualities, was a very good business man and had the scent of a trained financier for anything likely to pay. The little band of original artists and designers took in hand tapestry, furniture, wall papers, stained-glass, and later on, carpet weaving and dyeing. The terms under which they worked were very simple. Each member was to be paid for the work commissioned by the firm, and the profits were to be divided in a proper ratio at the end.

The new firm had plenty to do owing to the demand for ritual decorations caused by the Anglo-Catholic movement. Amongst the first commissions were those for adorning two new churches then being built—St. Martin-on-the-Hill, Scarborough, and St. Michael at Brighton. For the first one Rossetti made a design for two pulpit panels and several windows.

In dealing with stained-glass Rossetti who was specially gifted as a decorator, understood his medium, and in making his design took into account all the limitations of the material. He did not seek to paint a picture on glass, but maintained that idea of a mosaic of coloured-glass that is seen to so much advantage in the early vitraux.

Amongst works designed by him for the firm Morris & Co. the following may be mentioned: “Adam and Eve,” two designs for stained-glass, and “St. George and the Dragon,” six designs for stained-glass. One of them representing the princess drawing the fatal lot he painted as a water-colour. “King Rene’s Honeymoon,” a design for one of four panels representing the Arts, was done for a gothic cabinet that Mr. J.P. Seddon ordered from Morris & Co. Rossetti’s design for “Music” shows the king bent over a chamber-organ kissing his bride while she is playing. He designed also one of the minor panels “Gardening.” There is a water-colour of the same subject under the title of “Spring.” “Amor, Amans, Amata,” were three small figures in ovals, done for the back of a sofa, which Rossetti had made for himself. He kept it for many years in his house at Chelsea. “Sir Tristran and la Belle Iseult drinking the Love potion” was a fine design intended to be one of a series of stained-glass windows. “King Rene’s Honeymoon” was done for a series of stained-glass windows. “The Annunciation” is a design for a window, quite different from the early version of the same subject. “Threshing” is a design for a glazed tile. “The Sermon on the Mount” was done for a memorial window in Christ Church, Albany Street, erected in 1869 to the memory of his aunt, Miss Polidori.

In either 1861 or 1862 Rossetti designed two illustrations for his sister Christina’s book of poems “Goblin Market.” They were engraved on wood and appear in Messrs. Macmillan’s edition.

In May 1861 Mrs. Rossetti gave birth to a still-born child. Her recovery was slow, and this trouble did not improve her consumptive tendencies. She suffered, too, from a very severe form of neuralgia, for which laudanum was prescribed.

On the night of the 11th of February 1862 she took an overdose and Rossetti, returning home from lecturing at the Working Men’s College, found her dying. In a terrible state of anxiety, after seeking one doctor after another, he called in Madox Brown for help, but all in vain. The following morning his wife died, after only two years of married life. The grief of Rossetti was overwhelming and the touching scene in which he buried the manuscript of his poems with his beloved wife has been told many a time.

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