Bocca Baciata (Lips That Have Been Kissed) 1859 By Dante Gabriel Rossetti

What Is Bocca Baciata by Dante Gabriel Rossetti?

Bocca Baciata (1859) is a landmark Pre-Raphaelite painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and one of the most influential Victorian paintings of women. Art historians widely regard Bocca Baciata as the foundational work of Rossetti’s mature portrait style.  Painted at a pivotal moment in Rossetti’s career, it marks the beginning of his mature series of single-figure female portraits, combining sensuality, symbolism, and literary reference in a way that would redefine Victorian portrait painting.

The painting signals Rossetti’s shift away from Medieval-inspired themes toward Venetian Renaissance sensibilities, particularly in its refined handling of paint, rich color harmonies, and sensual surface effects. The opulent rendering of the woman’s red-golden hair exemplifies Rossetti’s emerging signature style and establishes his famous painting Bocca Baciata as a landmark work in Pre-Raphaelite portraiture.

Who Is the Woman in Bocca Baciata by Dante Gabriel Rossetti?

Bocca Baciata features Fanny Cornforth, a professional artistic model from Sussex, England and one of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s most important muses. She gazes outward from the pictorial frame, possibly toward the artist himself or a mirror, creating a direct and intimate connection with the viewer.

Born Sarah Cox, Fanny Cornforth embodied Rossetti’s idealized vision of beauty. Her pale, luminous skin and softly rounded red lips convey sensuality tempered by emotional restraint. Rossetti enhances this effect through opulent decorative elements of luxurious fabrics, flowers, and jewelry that heighten the painting’s visual richness and invite prolonged contemplation.

Who Was Fanny Cornforth in Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Life?

Following the death of Rossetti’s wife, Elizabeth Siddal, Fanny Cornforth became both housekeeper and muse within the artist’s household. Despite her domestic role, she remained one of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s most significant creative inspirations during the most productive phase of his career.

Rossetti’s portrayals of Fanny Cornforth are noticeably more voluptuous and sensual than his depictions of Jane Morris or Elizabeth Siddal. In his biographical writings, William Michael Rossetti acknowledged Cornforth’s physical beauty while criticizing her working-class origins, stating that she lacked “charm of breeding, education, or intellect.” Such class-based attitudes were common within Rossetti’s circle and contributed to sustained pressure on the artist to distance himself from the relationship.

What Inspired Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Pre-Raphaelite Art?

Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Pre-Raphaelite paintings were strongly inspired by 16th-century Venetian Renaissance artists, particularly Titian. Works such as Venus of Urbino (1538) influenced Rossetti’s idealized treatment of beauty, sensuality, and flesh tones, elements that become fully realized in Bocca Baciata.

Fanny Cornforth inspired many of Rossetti’s most sensual oil paintings and served not only as his muse but also as a creative collaborator throughout the 1860s. She appears in several major works of this period:

• Fair Rosamund (1861),
• Lady Lilith (1867),
• Found (1869), and
• The Holy Grail (1874).

In correspondence with the Scottish artist William Bell Scott, Rossetti reflected on his struggle to render convincing flesh tones, criticizing his earlier stippled brushwork. Determined to overcome this perceived flaw, he pursued fuller, more rounded representations of skin, achieving particularly striking results in Bocca Baciata.

What Is the Meaning of Bocca Baciata (Lips That Have Been Kissed)?

The title Bocca Baciata translates from Italian as “mouth that has been kissed” and refers to a proverb recorded by Giovanni Boccaccio, which Rossetti inscribed on the reverse of the painting.

Rossetti, an accomplished translator of early Italian literature, likely encountered the proverb in Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron. The reference reinforces the painting’s layered meaning, blending sensuality, literary symbolism, and moral ambiguity that are all hallmarks of Rossetti’s Pre-Raphaelite vision.

What Art Movement Are Dante Rossetti’s Paintings Associated With?

Bocca Baciata is a defining example of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Pre-Raphaelite paintings. Rossetti co-founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood alongside John Everett Millais, William Holman Hunt, and other leading artists, writers, and critics.

The movement rejected the rigid academic conventions of later Mannerism in favor of intense color, meticulous detail, and compositional clarity inspired by early Italian Renaissance masterpieces. Rossetti’s work exemplifies these principles while introducing a heightened sensuality unique to his artistic voice.

Why Did Dante Gabriel Rossetti Paint Bocca Baciata?

Bocca Baciata was commissioned in July 1859 by George Price Boyce, a close friend of Rossetti and a fellow member of the Pre-Raphaelite circle. The painting gained significant recognition when Boyce later lent it to the Royal Academy’s Exhibition of Old Masters in 1883, where it received critical acclaim.

After changing ownership several times, the painting was ultimately donated to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where it remains a key work in the museum’s fine art collection.

Where Can You Buy Museum-Quality Pre-Raphaelite Reproductions?

Collectors can explore museum-quality oil painting reproductions of Pre-Raphaelite portraits inspired by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and other leading figures of Victorian paintings. Hand-painted fine art reproductions allow art lovers to experience the beauty, symbolism, and craftsmanship of Pre-Raphaelite masterpieces in their own homes.