The Seed of David

The Seed of David
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
1858-64

Llandaff Cathedral

Ruth Herbert was the original model for the head of the Virgin.
DGR substituted Jane Burden Morris's head for Ruth Herbert's in 1861.

Agnes Hughes
Arthur Hughes's daughter Agnes was the model for the Christ Child.

Edward Burne-Jones may be the model for the shepherd in the center panel.

Surtees writes, “In the summer of 1860 Rossetti had ‘an Italian (of Parmigiano)’ sitting for him, though for which figure is not known” (Surtees, A Catalogue Raisonné , vol. 1, 58).

The head of King David in the right wing is taken from William Morris.

Note: Fanny Cornforth claimed that her husband Timothy Hughes sat for the figure of David in the left wing.

Repainting: 1869