'The Rossettis Siblings and Spouses' (Wightwick Manor, Wolverhampton until November 2026)

Elizabeth Siddal, The Haunted Wood, 1856, Wightwick Manor, Wolverhampton

Wightwick Manor ought to be a recognised halt on the Pre-Raphaelite pilgrimage trail, but perhaps because of its inauspicious location on the outskirts of Wolverhampton, perhaps because has been subsumed into the National Trust portfolio, it is not as well known as it should be. A beautifully intact Arts and Crafts house, it boasts a superb carved timber exterior and interior rooms decorated with Morris and Co wallpaper and stained glass. However, it is the art collection massed by paint magnate Sir Geoffrey Mander and his wife which is the real draw. Now, the National Trust have raided their store and produced an exhibition of works by the Rossettis, Siblings and Spouses. It should be a treat but although there are plenty of individual treasures, the overall show is less than the sum of its parts.

The major problem is one of display. The exhibition sprawls through the house with screens in front of other objects and little sense of cohesion. The house itself is cluttered, dark and domestic - a perfect, cosy House Beautiful but not ideal as an exhibition space. The National Trust are not keen on labels at the best of times: visitors are usually reliant on effusive volunteer guides and a slightly dog-eared folder detailing items and paintings in each room. Here, the folders are out of date, with normally displayed works moved to accommodate exhibition pieces, and the guides themselves seemed a little bemused by the changes. The result is frustrating: one is never quite sure what is part of the Rossettis show, and a great deal of time is spent leafing through the scant information available. The curators, perhaps in an effort to combat this, have produced large information boards full of biographical detail and contemporary quotes. The hall contains a family tree and gives each focus member a nickname (Christina, for instance, is The Famous One). They tell a great story but it is a lot to read and retain.

The Rossettis are collectively, of course, a compelling subject - here regularly and not inaccurately compared to the Brontes - but not an easy one to negotiate. Tate Britain tried it a few years ago, with only partial success: that exhibition kept teetering towards being the Dante Gabriel Show. Curators Hannah Squire and Helen Bratt-Wyton have given themselves a harder task by including not only all four siblings, but also Elizabeth Siddal and Lucy Madox Brown (Ford's daughter, who married William Michael Rossetti).  Only three of the six are recognised as artists, although there is a small Veronese copy tentatively attributed to Christina on show, and indeed Maria Rossetti eschewed culture altogether in favour of a life of religious devotion. Added to this, the exhibition is restricted by its determination to only use in-house material, so there are few famous showstoppers. Paradoxically, this becomes its strength. Whereas Tate couldn't resist splashing big Rossetti canvases, here arguably the most impressive work on show is actually by the least heralded artist. Lucy Madox Brown's Romeo and Juliet, all gothic pallor and shadows, is a tantalising glimpse of the career she might have had, if marriage, motherhood and ill-health had not intervened. 

Ford Madox Brown, William Michael Rossetti by Lamplight, 1856, Wightwick Manor, Wolverhampton

In the main, this is a show of small things. Lady Mander was an enthusiastic collector of Siddal's work and one of the bedrooms is devoted to her tiny, angular, Medievalist drawings and two richly coloured gouaches which are reminiscent of Samuel Palmer in their claustrophobic intensity. Two pencil versions of an ecstatic St Cecilia also stand out. Rossetti's lithographic experiments are fascinating (and newly acquired) and the emphasis on his early drawings provides an interesting counterpoint to the more usual focus on his late 'stunners'. Works like The Bivouac After the Ball and the Shadowless Man have a fluid bulkiness which prefigures the curvilinear strength of his later figures and make his Pre-Raphaelite works seem like an increasingly uncharacteristic interlude. Much is also made of portraits, including Rossetti's tender pencil drawing of his mother and jokey cartoon of a tantrum-ing Christina. Indeed, one of the excuses for the whole exhibition is a newly acquired pastel portrait of a middle-aged Christina, painted soon after the death of her sister Maria and weighty with sadness. Wightwick also holds the famous Madox Brown portrait of William Michael Rossetti by Lamplight and a delightful representation of his daughter, Lucy, all jaunty ribbons and reluctant smile.

I would recommend a visit to Wightwick Manor under any circumstances but for the casual visitor I am not sure how much the exhibition will enhance the experience. The material and curatorial effort merit a better exhibition space, and the addition of a few loans - perhaps through a partner institution - could have raised this from a decent to a spectacular show. That said, this remains a must-see for anyone interested in the Rossettis and the domestic setting is ideal for small works which would get overwhelmed in a gallery space. There is an added bonus for Evelyn De Morgan fans: two of her works have been relocated to the Malthouse Gallery giving a first chance to see them in good lighting and all their glorious colour.