For a Marriage of St. Katharine, by the same (Hans Memmeling) (WMR corrected copy) DGR 1 By permission of the South African National Gallery For a Marriage of St. Katharine, by the same, in the Hospital of St. John at Bruges Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1849 corrected fair copy 1 small leaf WMR WMR South African National Gallery cream laid paper 7 x 4 1/2 in. Commentary
Introduction

This copy of the sonnet is one of six made by WMR for a book he contemplated, to be titled <hi rend="i">Dicta of Artists</hi> , “Being Remarks by Various British Artists and Other Artists on Matters of Art”. He compiled the materials sometime after the turn of the century. The section of the book devoted to DGR's comments on art included this sonnet plus five other of DGR's “Sonnets for Pictures”, including “For a Venetian Pastoral, by Giorgione (In the Louvre)” , “For a Virgin and Child, by Hans Memmling, in the Academy of Bruges” , “For an Allegorical Dance of Women by Andrea Mantegna (In the Louvre)” , and the pair of sonnets “For Ruggiero and Angelica, by Ingres” . The projected book, with these sonnets, is preserved in the library of the National Museum of South Africa.

Like “For a Virgin and Child, by Hans Memmling, in the Academy of Bruges” , this copy is notable because WMR's text lays upon the early (1849) version of the sonnet a set of revisions that represent DGR's later changes to the work. In the manuscript it is copied immediately after the manuscript of the latter sonnet in such a way as to suggest the two constitute a pair.

Textual History: Composition

Textual History: Revision

Production History

Reception History

Iconographic

Printing History

Pictorial

Historical

Literary

Translation

Autobiographical

Bibliographic

475 In the upper right corner, the page number of WMR's projected volume. Rossetti WMR's pencil note in the upper left corner <add>For</add> A Marriage of St. Katharine, by the <lb/>Same, in the Hospital of St. John at <lb/>Bruges. Mystery: Katherine, the bride of Christ. 476 In the upper right corner, the page number of WMR's projected volume. Rossetti WMR's pencil note in the upper left corner She kneels, & on her hand the holy Child Setteth now the ring. Her life is sad hushed & mild, Laid in God's Knowledge—ever unenticed From Him God, & in the end thus fitly priced. Awe, & the music that is near her, wrought Of angels, have possessed her eyes in thought: Her utter joy is hers, and hath sufficed. There is a pause while Mary Virgin turns The leaf, & reads. With eyes on the spread book, That damsel at her knees reads after her. John whom He loved, & John His har- binger, Listen & watch. Whereonsoe'er thou look, The light is starred in gems, & the gold burns.