A Virgin and Child, by Hans Memmeling; in the Academy of Bruges (WMR corrected copy)

This copy of the sonnet is one of six made by WMR for a book he contemplated, to be titled Dicta of Artists, “Being Remarks by Various British Artists and Other Artists on Matters of Art”. He compiled the materials sometime after the turn of the century. The section of the book devoted to DGR's comments on art included this sonnet plus five other of DGR's “Sonnets for Pictures”, including “For a Venetian Pastoral, by Giorgione (In the Louvre)” , “For an Allegorical Dance of Women by Andrea Mantegna (In the Louvre)” , “For a Marriage of St. Katharine, by the same (Hans Memmeling)” , and the pair of sonnets “For Ruggiero and Angelica, by Ingres”. The projected book, with these sonnets, is preserved in the library of the National Museum of South Africa.

Like “For a Marriage of St. Katharine, by the same (Hans Memmeling)” , this copy is notable because WMR's text lays upon the early (1849) version of the sonnet a set of revisions that represent DGR's later changes to the work. In the manuscript it is copied immediately before the latter sonnet in such a way as to suggest the two constitute a pair.