A seated couple, embracing

ca. 1865

Not on view

Burne-Jones likely made this drawing in the mid-1860s when he was sketching the Parthenon marbles at the British Museum, using chalks on colored paper. While a student at Oxford, Burne-Jones and his close friend William Morris decided to give up their theology degrees and instead pursue artistic careers. Since he lacked formal training, Burne-Jones sought advice from Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Ruskin--who lent him prints by Albrecht Dürer to copy--and George Frederic Watts, who advised close study of classical sculpture. Here he develops a figural composition from his interaction with Greek models.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: A seated couple, embracing
Artist: Sir Edward Burne-Jones (British, Birmingham 1833–1898 Fulham)
Date: ca. 1865
Medium: White chalk with touches of graphite on brown paper
Dimensions: sheet: 13 3/16 x 9 15/16 in. (33.5 x 25.2 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Theodore P. Donahue, 1997
Object Number: 1997.453
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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Armed Men, Sir Edward Burne-Jones British, Graphite, heightened with white chalk, on brown paper — Armed Men
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