The artistic and romantic force which had produced the Pre-Raphaelite
movement had another important work to do five or six years later,
when a fusion of two movements took place: the early Pre-Raphaelites
represented by Rossetti, Holman Hunt, and Millais, joined the later
movement inaugurated by Morris and Burne-Jones. The second of these
groups originated at Exeter College, Oxford. It took shape like the
first one in a revolt against the Art formulæ of the age. The Oxford
group, like the P.R.B., had a magazine to express their views.
At Christmas 1855 Burne-Jones came up to London and was introduced to
Rossetti, whom he and Morris admired greatly. Rossetti contributed
"The Burden of Nineveh," and a little altered version of "The Blessed
Damozel" to the "Oxford and Cambridge Magazine," the organ of William
Morris.
One year later Burne-Jones and Morris settled in London in rooms at 17
Red Lion Square. Both young men were soon completely under Rossetti's
influence, and their studio became a sort of centre for all members
of his circle. There, in order to furnish and decorate these rooms,
the first essays in designing furniture were made. Rossetti painted a
pair of panels for a cabinet. He made use of the subject of his early
pen-and-ink drawing, "The Salutation of Beatrice," representing, in two
divisions, Dante meeting Beatrice in Florence and again in Paradise,
with a figure of Love standing between them in the midst of symbols.
Besides those panels Rossetti painted on the backs of two arm-chairs,
"Gwendolen in the Witch-tower" and the "Arming of a Knight," both
subjects from poems by William Morris.
To 1857 belongs the charming series of water-colours acquired by
William Morris: "The Damsel of the St. Grael," "The Death of Breuse
sans pitié," "The Chapel before the Lists," "The Tune of Seven Towers,"
and "The Blue Closet." The two last were special favourites with Morris
who used their romantic titles for two of his poems. This year also, he
painted the "Wedding of St. George," "The Gate of Memory," "The Garden
Bower," and a "Christmas Carol."
During the vacation of 1857 Rossetti went to Oxford with Morris
to visit the architect, Benjamin Woodward, who was constructing a
debating-hall for the Union Society. Rossetti saw an opportunity
for mural decoration, and arrangements were made with the building
committee in charge that seven artists including Rossetti, Burne-Jones,
and Morris, should undertake the decoration gratuitously, the Union
only defraying their expenses at Oxford and providing all necessary
material. Rossetti took for subjects, "Launcelot asleep before the
Chapel of the Sanc Grael" and "Sir Galahad, Sir Bors, and Sir Percival,
receiving the Sanc Grael." Before the pictures were finished they began
to fade, the walls having been badly prepared and Rossetti's designs
were never completed.
While at Oxford, in the summer of 1857, at the theatre, Rossetti was
very much impressed one night by the striking beauty of Miss Burden,
the daughter of an Oxford resident. He obtained an introduction in
order to ask for sittings. A pen-and-ink head called "Queen Guinevere,"
probably meant to replace the earlier studies done for "Launcelot at
the Shrine," was the first result of the new acquaintance. Several
years later, after the death of his wife, Miss Burden, then Mrs.
William Morris, again sat to Rossetti for several of his important
pictures.
[Illustration: PLATE V.--THE BOWER MEADOW
From the oil painting (32 in. by 25 in.) in the collection of the
late Sir John Milburn, Bart., Acklington, Northumberland
Of this charming composition the landscape background was painted at
Sevenoaks in 1850, and the figures were added and the whole finished
in 1872.]