The Sermon on the Mount
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
General Description
Date: 1861 (circa)
Model: George Meredith (Meredith is said to have sat for Christ.)
Model: Christina Rossetti (CGR is said to have sat for the Virgin (though the face is not unlike that of Elizabeth
Siddal).)
Model: Fanny Cornforth (The Magdalene strongly resembles Fanny Cornforth.)
Model: Algernon Swinburne (Swinburne is said to have been the model for St. John.)
Model: Simeon Solomon (Solomon is said to have been the model for St. James.)
Model: William Morris (Morris is said to have been the model for St. Peter.)
Model: Ernest Gambart (In Judas the face of the despised art dealer Gambart is easily recognizable.)
Bibliography
◦
Grylls,
Portrait of Rossetti,
Appendix G
◦
Sewter, DGR's Designs for Stained Glass, 420
◦
Surtees, A Catalogue Raisonné, vol. 1, 84 (no. 142).
Electronic Archive Edition: 1
This collection contains 10 texts and images, including:
Stained glass window, All Saints, Selsley, Gloucester
Scholarly Commentary
Introduction
DGR made the three designs for the triptych of stained glass windows to be manufactured by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Co. founded in April 1861. The designs were made for the windows in All Saints Church, Selsley and executed there in 1862. The central panel was also executed for Christchurch, Sunderland (1865) and for Christ Church, Albany Street, London (1869).
Production History
DGR's note to Morris on the initial drawing he made for the design comments on its inadequacy and he offers to “draw it again” after Morris looks at the initial result.
Literary
According to WMR, the intended title was The Sermon on the Plain, referencing the Gospel of Saint Luke, Chapter 6. The commonly accepted title, The Sermon on the Mount, refers to the Gospel of Saint Matthew, beginning in Chapter 5.