I love Adrienne Stein but this isn’t true about Rossetti. Have you ever seen Beata Beatrix? It’s a picture about death and love and spirituality. Prosperpine? It’s about Persephone her legend of death and rebirth.

Rossetti’s paintings were often symbolic and spiritual, not “merely pretty” and his women were not “without faults”. In fact his ideal of beauty was quite different from what Victorian society found beautiful at the time. Long, thick necks, almost masculine features sometimes. Greenish tint to the skin. Each of his muses were easily identifiable because of their unique appearances. Lizzie Siddal — delicate and ethereal. Jane Morris — dark, brooding, sensuous. Fanny Cornforth — lascivious, voluptuous, earthy.

Rossetti’s style of painting changed dramatically over his life. His best known works are from his later phase, but he also did rather medieval watercolours, again with themes of spirituality, idealism and life vs death.

Sorry, I’m a big fan of Pre-Raphaelites so I know a lot about them.