Rossetti'sVita Nuova
©2015 by Cynthia Rutledge
Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882) was best known as the founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, which was an elite group of painters, poets and critics that wanted to change the general views on art and how art was taught. They wanted a return to abundant detail, intense colors and complex compositions as seen in early Italian fine art.
Rossetti's use of beautiful and sensual women became the hallmark of his great body of work. I love most of his paintings, but the one that inspired Rossetti's Vita Nuovo was a painting that has had many names to include, Venus Veneta, Belcolore, Vita Nuova and Monna Vanna. Today, the painting is known as Monna Vanna (vain woman) (c. 1866). In this painting there are so many details, which I love! Let alone the sumptuous gold and white gown with green rosettes on the shoulder and the feather fan, this painting has a lot of jewelry! In this case the model is Alexa Wilding and she is wearing a beautiful pair of spiral ornaments in her hair, a long red coral necklace along with a crystal and gold choker, gold floral earrings, two rings and an awesome torque (ancient Greek or Roman bracelet).
Once my eyes locked in on the torque, I was off and running. The torque would have been ancient Greek (Hellenistic) or Roman. Most of these designs had lion or ram heads, facing one another as terminals, and were usually hinged in some way on the underside of the bracelet. Made of gold, many had gem set eyes and either a twisted gold or carved crystal bracelet.
Rossetti's Vita Nuova begins with two shaped peyote stitch "heads" that have large Swarovski pearls tucked into the finial shaped terminals. Embellished with half-moon shaped caps using seed beads and cup-chain, a pave´ (flush set) fine metal set CZ, cup-chain and seed bead flourishes complete the look. The bracelet band is a filled netting technique using seed beads and fire polish beads ending with a beautiful Swarovski crystal and metal magnetic clasp. A beaded jump-ring security chain finishes the design. Elegant, easy to wear, and a fashion statement, that blends the old with the new.
Skill level: Intermediate to advanced