Lot 32
  • 32

SIR EDWARD COLEY BURNE-JONES, BT., A.R.A., R.W.S. | Study of a Female Head in The Garden Court

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
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Description

  • Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, Bt., A.R.A. (1833-1898) and Charles Fairfax Murray (1849-1919)
  • Study of a Female Head in The Garden Court
  • signed with initials and dated l.l.; EBJ/1888.
  • black chalk and pencil
  • 30 by 20cm., 11¾ by 7¾in.

Provenance

Probably, Christie's, 16-18 July 1898, 'Remaining works of Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Bart., deceased', lot 147;
Mr and Mrs John Hay Whitney, their sale Sotheby's, New York, 18 May 2004, lot 93;
Maas Gallery, London where purchased by the present owner

Literature

T. Martin Wood, Drawings of Sir Edward Burne-Jones, 1907, illustrated plate 1.

Condition

The drawing has not ben laid down and the paper is a little bowed. The sheet is a little dirty in areas and may benefit from a light clean. FRAME The picture is contained in a simple plaster and gilt frame and fitted with anti-UV glass.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

This study is for the head of the girl at the centre of The Garden Court, the third painting in the celebrated Briar Rose series (Buscot Park, Oxfordshire) depicting Charles Perrault's romance of the Sleeping Beauty. The Garden Court depicts  the palace servant girls who have fallen into an enchanted sleep while going about their daily chores at a well and loom. William Morris, Edward Burne-Jones' lifelong friend, composed a verse for each scene and for The Garden Court he wrote: 'The maiden pleasance of the land, Knoweth no stir of voice or hand, No cup the sleeping waters fill, The restless shuttle lieth still.' The first set of pictures depicting Perrault's story were painted for the patron William Graham between 1871 and 1873 (Museo de Arte de Ponce, Puerto Rico) but did not include the scene depicting the servant-girls. It was not until the larger set of pictures were begun, probably in 1874, that Burne-Jones conceived the fourth picture as part of the series which was bought by the financier Alexander Henderson and installed in the saloon at his country estate of Buscot Park.

With a penchant for platonic but intense friendships with younger, beautiful women, Burne-Jones often included the likenesses of these muses into his most significant work.  The model for the present study and a variant drawing (formerly with Julian Hartnoll) was drawn from another sitter from the fashionable society around Burne-Jones, Miss Ethel Burdet-Burgess (later Mrs Allen, Professor at Madras University).