Rossetti

Rossetti is an Italian surname that has become especially associated with a prominent 19th-century family of poets and artists linked to the English art world and the Pre-Raphaelite movement. The name originates in Italy, and its precise etymology is not uniformly documented, but it is commonly connected to forms related to the word for rose.

The best-known Rossettis are members of a single family whose influence spanned literature and painting. Gabriele Rossetti (1783–1854), an Italian poet and patriot who moved to London, fostered a strong interest in Dante and Italian literature in his children. His offspring included Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882), a painter and poet who co-founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848 and created works celebrated for their technical detail and mythic imagery. Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830–1894) was a major English poet, known for Goblin Market and Remember. William Michael Rossetti (1829–1919) was a writer and critic who helped document the Pre-Raphaelite circle. Maria Francesca Rossetti (1827–1876) contributed to translations and literary scholarship.

Together, the Rossetti siblings played a central role in Victorian poetry and art, shaping public perception of the Pre-Raphaelite movement through their writings, relationship with painters, and cross-cultural interests. Their collaboration and individually notable works helped define a key era in British cultural history.