The Music Master

Various artists/makers

Not on view

Rossetti’s first published illustration was made for this volume to accompany the poem The Maids of Elfin-mere. Characteristically, the image focuses on a vision of three maidens who appear nightly to spin and chant, entrancing a pastor’s son who, “listening to their gentle singing, felt his heart go from him clinging, round these maids of Elfen-Mere.” Allingham, who wrote the related ballad, was an Irish poet known for fairy subjects. The stiff drapery and repeated poses in the image derive from late Gothic art, while the girls resemble Rossetti’s beloved Elizabeth Siddal. Edward Burne-Jones, a close friend of Rossetti's, called the related design “the most beautiful drawing for an illustration I have ever seen.”

The Music Master, William Allingham (Irish, Ballyshannon, Donegal 1824–1889 Hampstead, London), Illustrations: wood engraving

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

The Maids of Elven-Mere, between pages 202 and 203