
Alexa Wilding (born Alice Wilding, c. 1847 – 25 April 1884) was one of the favourite models of the
Pre-Raphaelite
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, Jame ...
artist
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti (), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhoo ...
, featuring in some of his finest paintings of the later 1860s and 1870s. She sat for more of his finished works than any other of his more well-known
muses
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the p ...
, including
Elizabeth Siddall
Elizabeth Eleanor Siddall (25 July 1829 – 11 February 1862), better known as Elizabeth Siddal, was an English artist, poet, and artists' model. Significant collections of her artworks can be found at Wightwick Manor and the Ashmolean. Sidda ...
,
Jane Morris
Jane Morris (née Burden; 19 October 1839 – 26 January 1914) was an English embroiderer in the Arts and Crafts movement and artists' model who embodied the Pre-Raphaelite ideal of beauty. She was a model and muse to her husband Willia ...
and
Fanny Cornforth
Fanny Cornforth (born Sarah Cox; 3 January 1835 – 24 February 1909) was an English artist's model, and the mistress and muse of the Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Cornforth performed the duties of housekeeper for Ross ...
.
Comparatively little is known about Wilding, while Rossetti's other models, Siddall, Morris and Cornforth, are frequently written about. This is perhaps partly due to the lack of any romantic or sexual connection between the pair, which differentiates Rossetti's relationship with Wilding from those with his other muses.
Biography
Early life
Alexa Wilding's
working-class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...
family originated from
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'S ...
, Shropshire, in England, while Alexa herself (then Alice) was born an only child in
Surrey in or about 1847. Her father was a piano-maker, while her father's brothers were butchers. According to the 1861 census, when she was 14, Wilding was living at 23 Warwick Lane near Newgate Market in London with her 59-year-old grandmother, two uncles and a cousin. She was a working girl, but her standard of life is not thought to have been terrible for the time, and she could read and write. By the time of her association with Rossetti, she was living with an aunt and working as a
dressmaker
A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes custom clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician.
Notab ...
with ambitions of becoming an actress.
Period with Rossetti
Wilding was first seen by Rossetti in 1865, when she was walking one evening along the
Strand. He was immediately impressed by her beauty. She agreed to sit for him the following day for a proposed painting of ''Aspecta Medusa'', but failed to arrive as planned; it is possible that she was put off by the morally dubious reputation of models at that time. Weeks went by, and Rossetti had given up the idea of the painting he had in mind. So important did he consider the look of this specific model to it, when he spotted her again in the street, he jumped from the cab he was in and persuaded her to be led straight back to his studio. He paid her a weekly fee to sit for him exclusively, afraid that other artists might also employ her. The two shared a lasting bond; after Rossetti's death in 1882, Wilding, though not particularly financially well off, was said to have travelled to place a wreath on his grave in
Birchington-on-Sea
Birchington-on-Sea is a village in the Thanet district in Kent, England, with a population of 9,961.
The village forms part of the civil parish of Birchington. It lies on the coast facing the North Sea, east of the Thames Estuary, between the ...
.
In the 1881 census, Alice Wilding, aged 34, was living at 33 Redcliffe Road,
Kensington, with her two young children, Charles and Nellie Wilding. Charles James Ernest Wilding was born in Hammersmith on 23 June 1876. Eleanor Wilding was born on 3 September 1877, also in Hammersmith. The identity of their father is not known. By this time Alexa held a position as a
landlady
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant (also a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). When a juristic person is in this position ...
and property-holder, a considerable achievement for a working-class woman. In his letters to Dunn from 1873, Rossetti complains about Wilding's housing situation, since he seems often to have been called upon to lend her money towards it; "Surely A.W. will now get rid of this mad house of hers."
Death
The death certificate issued for Alexa Wilding records her death on 25 April 1884, aged 37. The cause of death was
peritonitis
Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and cover of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One part or ...
for six days and eventual exhaustion; sixteen months earlier she had been diagnosed with a
splenic
The spleen is an organ found in almost all vertebrates. Similar in structure to a large lymph node, it acts primarily as a blood filter. The word spleen comes . tumor. This may be the disease that had previously caused Rossetti to think her ill, and prevented her sometimes from keeping her sittings.
She is buried in Brompton Cemetery, along with her grandmother, Mary Ann, and niece, Marie. While her death certificate states the date of her death as 25 April, her tombstone lists it as 24 April 1884.
In Rossetti's art
In Rossetti's paintings, Wilding's elegant looks and ethereal beauty were in contrast to another of Rossetti's models, the voluptuous
Fanny Cornforth
Fanny Cornforth (born Sarah Cox; 3 January 1835 – 24 February 1909) was an English artist's model, and the mistress and muse of the Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Cornforth performed the duties of housekeeper for Ross ...
. Wilding's more refined features were substituted for Cornforth's in ''
Lady Lilith
''Lady Lilith'' is an oil painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti first painted in 1866–1868 using his mistress Fanny Cornforth as the model, then altered in 1872–73 to show the face of Alexa Wilding. The subject is Lilith, who was, according ...
'' (1864–1868), in part when Rossetti's
patron
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
and owner of the painting
Frederick Leyland
Frederick Richards Leyland (30 September 1831 – 4 January 1892) was one of the largest British shipowners, running 25 steamships in the transatlantic trade. He was also a major art collector, who commissioned works from several of the Pre-Rapha ...
considered
the original too earthy. Similarly, the painting ''
Venus Verticordia
Venus Verticordia ("the changer of hearts") was an epithet of the Roman goddess Venus, alluding to the goddess' ability to change hearts from lust to chastity.
In the year 114 BC, three Vestal Virgins were condemned to death for transgressin ...
'' (1864–1868), originally modelled by a near six-foot-tall cook, was repainted with Wilding's face in January 1868. Rossetti seems to have considered her features versatile enough for the roles of both virtue, for example ''
Sibylla Palmifera'', and vice, as in the paintings mentioned here, in roles previously reserved for Cornforth.
Contemporaries seem to have disagreed over Wilding's capacity for expression: Rossetti's assistant,
Henry Treffry Dunn said of her that she was "... without any variety of expression. She sat like a
Sphinx
A sphinx ( , grc, σφίγξ , Boeotian: , plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon.
In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches o ...
, waiting to be questioned, and with always a vague reply in return... But she had a deep well of affection within her seemingly placid exterior." The artist's brother,
William Michael Rossetti
William Michael Rossetti (25 September 1829 – 5 February 1919) was an English writer and critic.
Early life
Born in London, Rossetti was a son of immigrant Italian scholar Gabriele Rossetti and his wife Frances Rossetti ''née'' Polido ...
, meanwhile saw her as "capable of much varying expression." Dunn described Wilding as having "a lovely face, beautifully moulded in every feature, full of quiescent, soft, mystical repose that suited some of his conceptions admirably... He was struck with her beautiful face and golden, auburn hair. It was the very type of face he had been seeking so long."
Wilding's features are easy to spot in Rossetti's art; the red hair, long neck, perfect Cupid's bow lips, and somewhat softer eyes compared to Lizzie Siddall's famed heavy-lidded ones. However, in ''
The Blessed Damozel'', Wilding's features are less discernible thanks to Rossetti's portrayal of her with his late wife's eyes. Additionally two of Rossetti's paintings featuring Wilding are similar to those originally modelled for by his late wife Lizzie Siddall, ''Regina Cordium'' and ''
Damsel of the Sanct Grael''. According to his close friend, the art critic
Frederic George Stephens
Frederic George Stephens (10 October 1827 – 9 March 1907) was a British art critic, and one of the two 'non-artistic' members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
Life
Stephens was born to Septimus Stephens of Aberdeen and Ann (née Cook) ...
, "nothing he drew of her, diverse as the delineations were, seemed less than an exact likeness."
Paintings of Alexa Wilding
Those by Rossetti include:
* ''
Monna Vanna
''Monna Vanna'' (russian: Монна Ванна) is an unfinished opera by Sergei Rachmaninoff after a play by Maurice Maeterlinck. Rachmaninoff had completed Act I in short vocal score, with piano accompaniment, and then he went to ask for permiss ...
'' (1866)
* ''
Regina Cordium
Regina (Latin for "queen") may refer to:
Places Canada
* Regina, Saskatchewan, the capital city of the province
** Regina (electoral district)
** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina
France
* Régina, French Guiana, a commune
United States
* ...
'' (1866); a revisit to the subject of his 1860 ''
Regina Cordium
Regina (Latin for "queen") may refer to:
Places Canada
* Regina, Saskatchewan, the capital city of the province
** Regina (electoral district)
** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina
France
* Régina, French Guiana, a commune
United States
* ...
'', which had been modelled by his wife Elizabeth Siddall.
* ''
Sibylla Palmifera'' (1866–1870)
* ''
Venus Verticordia
Venus Verticordia ("the changer of hearts") was an epithet of the Roman goddess Venus, alluding to the goddess' ability to change hearts from lust to chastity.
In the year 114 BC, three Vestal Virgins were condemned to death for transgressin ...
'' (repainted 1867-1868; originally 1864–1866), repainted with Wilding's face when it failed to sell; modelled originally by a cook whom he noticed in the street, "a very large young woman, almost a giantess".
[Surtees, p. 99.]
* ''
Dante's Dream at the Time of the Death of Beatrice
''Dante's Dream'' (full title ''Dante's Dream at the Time of the Death of Beatrice'') is a painting from 1871 by the English Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti. It hangs in the McManus Art Gallery, Dundee, Scotland.
He repeated a com ...
'' (1871), far left.
* ''
The Bower Meadow'' (1871–1872)
* ''
Veronica Veronese
''Veronica Veronese'' is an oil painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti painted in 1872 with Alexa Wilding as the model. The painting was conceived as a companion to ''Lady Lilith.'' Rossetti sold the painting to one of his best clients, shipping ma ...
'' (1872)
* ''
Lady Lilith
''Lady Lilith'' is an oil painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti first painted in 1866–1868 using his mistress Fanny Cornforth as the model, then altered in 1872–73 to show the face of Alexa Wilding. The subject is Lilith, who was, according ...
'' (repainted 1872-1873; originally 1864–1868), modelled originally by Fanny Cornforth (cf.
this watercolour copy), but repainted with Wilding's face.
* ''
La Ghirlandata'' (1873)
*''
The Beloved'' (retouched in 1873; originally 1863), modelled originally by Marie Ford, is also thought to be inspired by Wilding when retouched.
* ''
Damsel of the Sanct Grael'' (1874)
* ''
Roman Widow'' (1874)
* ''
La Bella Mano'' (1875)
* ''
A Sea-Spell'' (1875-1877)
* ''
The Blessed Damozel'' (1875–1878); shows the influence of his next muse Jane Morris's hooded eyes.
Drawings by Rossetti include:
* ''
Portrait of Alexa Wilding'' (1865)
* ''
Sibylla Palmifera (Study)'' (c. 1866)
* ''
Aspecta Medusa'' (c. 1867)
* ''
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and
resurr ...
'' (1867)
* ''
Rosa Triplex'' (1867), centre.
* ''
Venus Verticordia (Study)'' (1867-68)
* ''
Study for ′La Pia de′ Tolomei′'' (1868)
* ''
Alexa Wilding, A Study for Dante's Dream'' (1870)
* ''
Study for "Dante's Dream": Head of Alexa Wilding'' (1870)
* ''
Lady Lilith - Study for the Head'' (1872-1872)
* ''
Alexa Wilding'' (1874)
* ''
Study for ′La Bella Mano′'' (1875)
* ''
Alexa Wilding'' (1879)
References
External links
Rossetti Archive
''Venus Imaginaria'': Reflections on Alexa Wilding, Her Life, and Her Role as Muse in the Works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti– cf. for another photograph of Wilding.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilding, Alexa
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
English artists' models
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood artists' models
Women of the Victorian era
1840s births
1884 deaths
People from Surrey
Deaths from peritonitis
Burials at Brompton Cemetery
Muses