One of the most notable works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti is The Salutation of Beatrice, an oil painting on canvas created between 1880-1882. This masterpiece portrays a medieval Florentine gentlewoman named Beatrice in remarkable detail. Rossetti’s attention to detail shines through in the intricacies of Beatrice’s hair and the leaves on the roses.
It is worth noting that this was not Rossetti’s only dedication to the representation of Beatrice – he also had another piece entitled Salutatio Beatricis. Rossetti was a well-known British poet, illustrator, painter, and translator and founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
The painting’s name is taken from Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, where his beloved named Beatrice serves as his guide through Paradise. Though this particular artwork differs from his earlier depictions in featuring an austere-looking woman meeting with another woman whose face we cannot see, it remains a stunning example of Rossetti’s work which showcases both his real-life muse and artistic inspiration – two sides that are closely intertwined for many artists throughout history.
