title | Astarte Syriaca

artist | Dante Gabriel Rossetti

style | Pre-Raphaelite

date | 1877

collection | City Art Galleries, Manchester

Art History at a Glance

Artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti's painting Astarte Syriaca was inspired in part by ancient myth and religion. The female figure that dominates this work of art represents Rossetti's interpretation of Astarte, the Phoenician goddess of love and fertility (incidentally, Astarte shares similarities with the more familiar Classical goddess Aphrodite). 'Stunner' Jane Morris, the beautiful wife of designer William Morris, was the model for this massive, awe-inspiring goddess. In addition to the goddess Astarte, there is also a pair of winged figures in the background, both of whom stare at the sky, gazing in wonder at the image of an eclipse.