Deverell, Rossetti, Siddal, and "The Bird in the Cage"

Abstract

Walter Deverell's involvement with the Pre-Raphaelite group is revealed in two major paintings he did between 1852 and 1854: The Pet and The Grey Parrot. More conventional in character than the Pre-Raphaelites' own works (he employs in both pictures a typical Victorian model, both in dress and pose), Deverell nevertheless achieves another level of meaning through the subtle interaction of word and symbol. In both works, in which he appears to be portraying Elizabeth Siddal as a bird in a cage, he describes her relationship with Rossetti and reveals his personal feelings towards her. Such an interpretation is supported by the way Rossetti treated Elizabeth in both real life and his depictions of her.

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