Lady Lilith
Item
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Title
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Lady Lilith
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Rights
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain.
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Creator
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Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882) and Henry Treffry Dunn (1838–1899)
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Date
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1867
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Description
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This painting depicts Lilith, a Jewish mythological figure, as a 19th century "femme fatale" with long red hair and exposed shoulders, surrounded by a variety of white, pink, and red flowers representing different kinds of love. Lilith is combing her hair and gazing into a mirror, symbolizing vanity. This is the second version of this painting by Rossetti, as the first Lilith was given a different face at the commissioner's request. The original model for Lilith was Rossetti's mistress, Fanny Cornforth, and her face is seen in this version. The original frame encasing this painting has a label that quotes Goethe's Faust: “Beware . . . for she excels all women in the magic of her locks, and when she twines them round a young man’s neck, she will not ever set him free again.”
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Format
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Painting. Watercolor and gouache (bodycolor). 20 3/16 X 17 5/16 in.
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Contributor
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Shaelyn Fett
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Identifier
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08.162.1.
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Subject
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Lilith; Lady Lilith; Dante Gabriel Rossetti; Henry Treffry Dunn; 19th century; Watercolor; Red Hair; Mirror; Comb; Vanity.
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Source
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Jpeg file. Unknown photographer. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Digital Collection. Accessed 10/5/2023. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/337500.
