Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones

Sale: Christie's, London, November 20, 2003, lot 157, illustrated

 This drawing is a fine example of Burne-Jones's mastery of pencil as a medium. Burne-Jones was known to create the wispy, feather like quality seen in the woman's face and hair by using the time honored method, favored in the Renaissance, of rubbing stale bread over the image to remove most of the graphite.  Burne-Jones would later carefully rework the main areas he wished to enhance, bringing out the most sensual aspects of the model's features.

The woman's face is shown in a similar pose to the first sea nymph in Burne Jones's well-known painting of Perseus and the Sea Nymphs (1877, Southampton City Art Gallery). However, her flowing hair and the overall balance of her features reveal that she is also closely related to the figure in the far right of the composition, who has been identified as Frances, the daughter of Burne-Jones's patron, William Graham.