Pandora’s box

Rossetti’s 1871 painting of Jane Morris as Pandora has lifted the lid on PRB intrigue Fiery reds and a smouldering look… Rossetti’s Pandora sums up the painter’s intense desire for his models, a desire that had already led to grim results with Lizzie Siddal.

Dressed as the Titan who unleashed all the torments of the world, model Jane Morris, the wife of Rossetti’s close friend William Morris, inspired many of the artist’s later paintings. Having been in private collection for the last 45 years, the painting went for auction in 2014 for an estimated £7 million.