Beata Beatrix - Replicas By Rossetti

Replicas By Rossetti

Rossetti was commissioned by William Graham to make a replica of Beata Beatrix. This oil replica, dated 1872, is almost the same size as the original but has a predella depicting Dante Allighieri and Beatrice meeting in paradise with a frame designed by Rossetti. It was given by bequest and on display at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Several other replica works were made by Rossetti of Beata Beatrix—a watercolor, a chalk drawing and another oil painting that was begun in 1877. This replica was still unfinished at the time of his death. His lifelong friend, Ford Madox Brown, completed it. In this painting, in contrast to the original, the bird flying towards Beatrice is a white dove holding red poppies in its beak. This painting is in Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, England.