Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III 1861 — 1882 When he recovered from the shock of his wife's death, which was not till some months had passed, and he was settled in the large house at Cheyne Walk, a new and energetic sphere of life opened before our painter, of which almost the first output was Mr. Leathart's triptych in water colours of Paolo and Francesca (R.A. 1883, No. 291), a developed version of a design which Mr. Ruskin had some years before bought, and which is very well represented by a transcript (p. 125) from one of Mr. Rae's treasures (Burlington Club, 1883, No. 13). This is altogether a sadder and more sombre work than Mr. Leathart's. The first compartment represents with extraordinary power the kissing in the garden house; the second the floating of the condemned pair in the dark regions, where in the irresistible air they roll as leaves rollin a strong current, still clasping each other, and with folded feet and garments all composed, moving both as one they pass amid the rain of sapphire-hearted flames. The third compartment, the motto of which is " 0 lasso .'" the poet's cry of pity, refers to the second division, and exhibits Virgil and his disciple walking in the gloom, Dante regarding the lovers with pitying eyes, and holding his loose garment to his lips. In the first division Paolo has looked up from the pictured page of the book the princess and he read together, and, all on fire at heart, seen answering fire in Francesca's eyes ; so he clasps both her hands in both of his, and they indulge with equal passion in the luxury of love. Abandoning her lips to his, she, under levelled eyelids, gazes on his face while it meets hers. The Bride, or The Beloved, a noble picture which I regard as Rossetti's masterpiece — one only example, to wit Proserpine, to which we shall sho...