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EDWARD BURNE-JONES: Forms Divinely Beautiful Prints from Nottingham City Museums’ Collection Newstead Abbey, Ravenshead 8 February to 12 July 2020

Days of Creation. Sir Edward Burne-Jones. NCM 1900-622 © Nottingham City Museums & Galleries

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“I mean by a picture a beautiful romantic dream of something that never was, never will be – in a light better than any light that ever shone – in a land no one can define, or remember, only desire.”

Edward Burne-Jones Not as she is, but was when hope shone bright; Not as she is, but as she fills his dream In an Artist’s Studio

by Christina Rossetti

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EDWARD BURNE-JONES: Forms Divinely Beautiful

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CONTENTS THE EXHIBITION 8 PROGRAMME 12 REPRODUCTIONS 14 WORKS LISTED 18

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THE EXHIBITION

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In 1900, Nottingham City Museums purchased a folio of prints, one of 200 such reproductions of Edward BurneJones’s paintings, compiled by his son Philip, to celebrate and promote his famous father’s work.

The prints are photogravures, made from a photographic negative, which is transferred to a metal plate and etched

by The Berlin Photographic Company. They are works of art in their own right, depicting Burne-Jones’s paintings in a new, smoky, inky light, the watercolours and oils rendered into velvety black and white, the textures and lines, figures and scenes redefined in print.

EDWARD BURNE-JONES: Forms Divinely Beautiful

In this exhibition we celebrate these prints again and revisit the subjects and stories depicted, examining Burne-Jones’s unique eye and his development of the Aesthetic style, as well as his serene and dreamlike portrayal of female beauty.

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BURNE-JONES & THE PRE-RAPHAELITES Burne-Jones was mentored by Rossetti - whom he worshipped - early on in his career. Like the Pre-Raphaelites, he was influenced by history, religion and literature, favouring medieval romances and classical stories.

Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones (1833-98) and his friend and fellow Oxford student William Morris, famous for his part in the revival of the Arts and Craft Movement, joined the PreRaphaelite Brotherhood in 1856 after hearing English painter Gabriel Dante Rossetti, one of the founders of the movement, deliver a lecture.

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood had started in 1848 and Burne-Jones and Morris are generally considered to be part of a ‘second-wave’ of artists associated with it.

Inspired by the theories of the art critic John Ruskin, who urged artists to ‘go to nature’, the Pre-Raphaelites believed in an art of serious subjects with maximum realism. They consciously rebelled against the Royal Academy’s promotion of the Renaissance master Raphael, evoking the spirit of freedom of art that existed before Raphael, away from the strict rules of art.

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BURNE-JONES & THE AESTHETIC MOVEMENT However, as the artist only used models close to him, within his family or social spheres, we are able to recognise the faces of his wife Georgiana, daughter Margaret and mistress Maria Zambaco in some of his paintings.

Burne-Jones’s later works, with softer lines, muted colours and dreamier subjects, are stylistically very different to the Pre-Raphaelites, being more akin to what became known as the Aesthetic Movement.

This was unapologetically ‘art for art’s sake’, based on the idea that beauty was the most important element in life and art should be created that was admired simply for its beauty rather than any narrative or moral function.

In an era when art was supposed to tell a story, the idea that a simple expression of mood or something merely beautiful to look at could be considered a work of art, was a radical idea.

Burne-Jones’s dreamy, oval female faces became a hallmark of beauty, an idealised portrait of women.

‘That moment you give what people call expressions, you destroy the typical character of heads and degrade them into portraits’ he wrote.

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A GOTHIC REVIVAL TOUR OF NEWSTEAD ABBEY with Dr. Sophie Hollinshead Friday 15th May 2020 Newstead Abbey 6.30 to 8pm £20, includes a glass of wine.

Newstead Abbey may be best known as the home of the poet Byron, but it also contains some stunning examples of Gothic Revival decorative schemes installed by the Wildman and Webb families who lived in the Abbey after Byron’s departure.

From fanciful gothic forts in the grounds to the grandeur of the Great Hall, and beauty of the intimate chapel, this tour will concentrate on this less well-represented aspect of Newstead's history and will include an opportunity to see the 'Forms Divinely Beautiful' exhibition of works by Edward Burne-Jones.

PROGRAMME

† Please note, this tour of the house is not wheelchair accessible.

To book, please visit our website or speak to a member of staff.

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BURNE-JONES: FORMS DIVINELY BEAUTIFUL

ABOUT DR SOPHIE HOLLINSHEAD

with Dr. Sophie Hollinshead Friday 22nd May The Orangery, Newstead Abbey 1.30 to 3pm £15

Dr. Hollinshead worked in academia for twenty-five years lecturing in the history of art and cultural history, specialising in the history of British art and culture, the English country house, and landscape and culture. She’s particularly interested in the artists associated with the Pre Raphaelite movement and their impact on the development of Victorian art and design. She is also a valued Visitor Assistant and tour guide at Newstead Abbey.

Escaping into a world of art for art's sake and dreamlike images, this talk will focus on works on display in the exhibition. The photogravures represent some of the artists best known and most important works whilst discovering some of the stories behind them. We will consider Burne-Jones’ approach to his subjects and his importance as an artist who links several of the key movements in later Victorian art. There will be an opportunity to view the exhibition after the talk To book, please visit our website or speak to a member of staff.

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REPRODUCTIONS

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NCM 1900-617

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NCM 1900-619

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NCM 1900-622

WORKS LISTED

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PORTRAIT OF EDWARD BURNE-JONES (1898) † NCM 1900-685 The painting in the background is Edward Burne-Jones’s Perseus and the Sea Nymphs from his Perseus series, which you can also see in this exhibition.

This print is taken from the portrait of Edward BurneJones painted by his son Philip Burne-Jones towards the end of the sitter’s life. Sir Philip Burne-Jones (1861-1926), a wellknown painter in his own right, specialised in landscape and portraiture, and developed a distinctive type of small portraiture of which this is the first example.

The portrait was started in 1897 and completed in 1898, the year of his father’s death. It shows the artist in the upstairs studio of his home. Edward BurneJones produced an enormous output of works throughout his lifetime, which could not have been achieved without intense application. Phillip recalled that his father would often work at home and that he rarely saw his father idle or without his brushes. In fact, even when on a brief break from painting to visit relatives, Edward BurneJones would not surrender his palette or brushes.

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KING COPHETUA & THE BEGGAR MAID (1884) † NCM 1900-673 The maid’s pale skin and plainness focusses attention on her innate beauty, contrasting with the dark ornate surroundings. The beggar maid does not return the gaze of the king but instead turns to the viewer. Pre-Raphaelites were fond of these asymmetrical gazes; the man would look at the woman who would face the viewer or stare off into the distance.

Based on Alfred Tennyson’s poem ‘The Beggar Maid’, this painting became synonymous with the artist, and was reproduced time and time again. When it was shown at the Grosvenor gallery, London in 1884 it was the highest point of Burne-Jones’s career and considered his greatest achievement. It sums up his philosophy of art, that a life lived through beauty was everybody’s birthright, regardless of social position or wealth.

This work tells the story of the ancient Ethiopian King Cophetua who disdained women and was immune to love. However, one day he saw a beggar girl and, falling instantly in love with her, vowed to make her his Queen.

The beggar maid’s face looks very much like Georgiana Burne-Jones (1840-1920), the wife of the artist. The painting might represent the artist’s feelings for his wife, and the message that love is more important than wealth or power.

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THE GOLDEN STAIRS (1876-80) † NCM 1900-649 This work depicts eighteen women, perhaps Angels, carrying various musical instruments and wearing archaic-looking dress whilst descending on a grand staircase.

Burne-Jones originally intended to enter the Church, but lost most of his conventional religious beliefs whilst studying theology at Oxford University.

Nevertheless, there are several indicators of Burne-Jones’s catholic influence in this piece.

The doves on the roof for example may be a symbol of peace and innocence, but are also indicative of the Holy Spirit.

Burne-Jones’s daughter Margaret (1866-1926) is present as a model; she is at the top of the stairs, holding a trumpet.

There are a few other models in this image too, including May Morris the daughter of BurneJones’s close friend and associate William Morris, and Frances Graham the daughter of BurneJones’s patron, William Graham.

Laura Lytteton, who died in childbirth at a young age, is also modelled in this piece.

It is, however, quite hard to distinguish between the models and they could almost be the same woman walking down the stairs.

The lack of a narrative is typical of the Aesthetic movement that Burne-Jones adopted. The meaning of this piece is elusive; could these be the stairs to heaven, or perhaps a metaphor for following a religious path?

The stairs may also allude to the passage of time. The vertical configuration of this piece allows for an interesting composition and adds a fluidity to the movement of the women.

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MARGARET BURNE-JONES (1885) †NCM 1900-671

The convex mirror appears to represent a halo; Burne-Jones presents his daughter as pure, angelic and innocent. Just two years after this portrait was finished Margaret married John William Mackail, who was one of the leading Classical scholars of his time and the future biographer of William Morris

Burne-Jones also painted portraits as well as taking inspiration from medieval art, religion and myths; however, he only took commissions from friends or well-known people.

This meant that he was able to capture the strengths and frailties of his subjects in a more personal way. His daughter Margaret was often the subject or model for many paintings.

In this portrait, a twenty-yearold Margaret is seated in front of a convex mirror, resulting in the domestic interior becoming inverted and the viewer entering a dream-like world.

The room reflected is her own.

Her beauty bears an uncanny resemblance to his depictions of the female figure within his other works, showing a stylistic preference to portray women in this particular way.

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FLAMMA VESTALIS (1886) † NCM 1900-680 Again we see Burne-Jones’s beloved daughter, Margaret, who embodied the artist’s ideal of beauty, as the model for this painting. The Latin title refers to the Vestal Virgins of Rome, the ancient priestesses who tended the perpetual fire on the altar of the goddess Vesta. This portrait does not differ too greatly from the portrait of Margaret in which she is just herself. There is the same spiritual cast in both, and an emphasis on the preservation of her virtue.

Begun before her marriage in 1888 to John William Mackail, the painting aligns Margaret with these chaste women, suggesting her innocence and purity. He often referred to Margaret as his ‘favourite companion’, and she would often read to him whilst he was in his studio.

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THE BRIAR ROSE SERIES (1890) † NCM 1900-603 † NCM 1900-605 In the final image ‘The Rose Bower’, we see the princess sleeping, yet again based on the likeness of his daughter Margaret. It is interesting that we do not see the action of the curse being broken; there is no depiction of a kiss. The briar is much more delicate in this scene, as if it is only just making its way into the palace. The vines look like fingers, with one seemingly trying to infiltrate the jewellery box. The silver bells on the hem of the bed sheet indicate that there once was noise and movement but now everything is still; a locked moment in time.

This series of paintings is based on the French author Charles Perrault’s (1628-1703) fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. All works in this series represent a single moment in time. There are four paintings in the series, of which we are showing two.

In the first work, which is entitled ‘The Briar Wood’ the knight is shown standing hesitantly before the fallen knights who have failed before him. The briar is thick and overgrown, indicating that a considerable amount of time has passed. The vines have removed the shields and helmets from the fallen knights almost as trophies of victory and conquest. The fallen knights appear effeminate, reflecting the use of female models who included Jane Morris, the wife of William Morris, Georgiana Burne-Jones and his former mistress Maria Zambaco.

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THE BEGUILING OF MERLIN (1877) †NCM 1900-642 The original painting was commissioned by Frederick Richards Leyland who was a ship owner and art-collector from Liverpool.

This work explores infatuation, power, entrapment and betrayal within a tale from the legends of King Arthur and took on a deeply personal meaning for Burne-Jones.

In this scene Nimue, the lady of the lakes, enchants an infatuated Merlin into a deep sleep, before she reads his spell book. Merlin is trapped within a hawthorn bush, which itself symbolises enchantment.

The Arthurian legends were a favourite of Burne-Jones and the themes of faith and heroism that they expressed fascinated the Victorians. Nimue is based on the British sculptor and model Maria Zambaco (1843-1914) who was the mistress of BurneJones; they had a tumultuous affair and she often appears in his works as a femme fatale or temptress. She first met BurneJones in 1866 when her mother commissioned him to paint her.

The affair ended abruptly in 1869, but they both remained in close contact afterwards. This is Burne-Jones’s last major work with her as feature model for his lead female character.

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THE WIZARD (unfinished) † NCM 1900-672 This work was begun around 1896, but remained unfinished upon the death of the artist in 1898.

In this work, a wizard holds back a curtain for a young woman and reveals a shipwreck within a magical mirror, perhaps referencing Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ with the characters Prospero and Miranda. The broken mast of the ship indicates that disaster has overwhelmed those on board, perhaps known to or loved by the girl.

The figures are richly adorned, and the colour palette in the original painting is subdued.

The wizard, modelled on a younger Burne-Jones, turns the pages of an ancient book with his right hand whilst holding the curtain open with his left. A cauldron bubbles on the tripod next to the woman, modelled

by Frances Graham Horner, the daughter of his primary patron, William Graham.

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DEPTHS OF THE SEA (1887) † NCM 1900-675 Mermaids were seen as seductive and dangerous, sparking both fear and fascination in equal measure.

They are similar to the Sirens from Classical mythology, who use their voices to lure sailors to their death. They serve as a warning to those living weakwilled and lustful lives, who are easily seduced by charm and beauty and for whom a bad end awaits.

In this work we see a smiling mermaid hauling the dead body of a naked young man to the bottom of the sea. With its warped forms, wavering lights and monochrome dimness, the painting is evocative of the strange seaways of underwater life. In fact, Burne-Jones was so determined to get these underwater effects right that he borrowed a large glass tank from another British Pre-Raphaelite artist, Henry Holiday, filled it with water, and used it as a prop to paint from in his studio.

The face of the model is that of Octavia Laura Lyttleton (née Tennant), wife of politician and sportsman Alfred Lyttleton, who died in childbirth in 1886 while the oil painting was being produced. Laura, as she was better known, was noted for her beauty and intellect, and was one of a string of young women that Burne-Jones doted on and used as his model. Georgiana noted that "in our house she so fascinated us all that we called her ‘The Siren’’’.

This painting is more than an eerie scene of mermaid mythology or a demonstration of the artist’s technical skill; it can also be seen as a psychological exploration of fear, desire, and fatal attraction.

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THE WINE OF CIRCE (1869) † NCM 1900-641 These themes echoed the real life of the artist and his affair with Maria Zambaco, who was also the model for Circe. For Burne-Jones, Maria’s exotic (Greek) heritage was an intoxication, and she shared his interest in Classics. Together they read the epics of Homer and Virgil.

Burne-Jones was inspired by his mentor, the art critic and artist John Ruskin (1819-1900) to produce Classical compositions as well as medieval and mythological works to satisfy the Victorian appetite for these stories.

The scene of this work depicts the sorceress from Homer’s ‘Odyssey’ holding her potion, which she uses to turn men into pigs. In the epic tale, the witch Circe resides over the island of Aeaea. Through the window, we can see three of Odysseus’s boats on the sea.

When this piece was exhibited at the Old Watercolour Society (now the Royal Watercolour Society, London) in 1869, it was considered perverse. BurneJones resigned from the society a year later due to this lack of freedom to express himself.

Circe, just like the two panthers, This rejection, alongside the prowls and takes up the majority public scandal caused by his of the scene, with the outline affair with Maria, led to his of her body visible beneath her retreat from exhibitions for loose garment. This posture several years. associates her sexuality with beastliness, as well as exploring the concept of women as temptresses.

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LOVE AMONGST THE RUINS (1894) † NCM 1900-646 The briar rose present in this work alludes to Burne-Jones’s Briar Rose series, whilst the thorny vine also symbolises the hardship and pain that love can bring.

A good example of the Aesthetic movement because of its lack of a clear narrative, this work is based loosely on a poem by Robert Browning (1812-1889) of the same title, but refers more to the artist’s own doomed romance with his model and muse. The original watercolour painting of this work became the most expensive PreRaphaelite painting ever sold at auction at Christie’s, London in 2013.

The figures appear mournful and lost amid ruined architecture, but they have each other in the fallen city. The ruins in the depiction and the reference in the title may refer to the demise of his affair with Maria Zambaco, some twenty years earlier. After the affair waned, Zambaco proposed a suicide pact, and then threatened to kill herself by opium overdose or by drowning herself. This was a disastrous time for Burne-Jones as news of the scandal had spread in the literary circle. His wife Georgiana only became aware of the affair after finding a letter in her husband’s pocket.

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DIES DOMINI (1880) † NCM 1900-651 This piece depicts the biblical scene of Christ in Judgement.

The figure of Christ is presented descending on the wings of numerous Angels. Four Angel heads also emerge from between the wings. Christ's right arm is raised, and with his left hand, he points to the wound on his side. An abundance of drapery falls over the figure of Christ, billowing below and above the figure.

'Dies Domini' means ‘Day of the Lord’ and this work was originally executed as a stained glass window design for the chancel east window of the church of St Michael and St Mary Magdalene, East Hampstead, Berkshire. The original painting is now lost, but it was exhibited in 1880 at the Winter Exhibition at the Grosvenor Gallery, London.

Founded in 1877 by Sir Coutts Lindsay and his wife Blanche, it was crucial to the Aesthetic Movement because it provided a home for those artists whose approaches the more classical and conservative Royal Academy did not welcome.

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THE MORNING OF THE RESURRECTION (1886) † NCM 1900-682 Burne-Jones began this painting in 1882, but did not complete it until four years later, when it was exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery. It depicts the biblical scene of Mary Magdalene's visit to the empty tomb, where she encounters the resurrected Christ, accompanied by Angels.

The Angels are making the ancient sign of adoration by covering their mouths. The figure of Mary and the Angels are in typical Burne-Jones style.

Burne-Jones was close to an intellectual group called ‘The Souls’, which included many of the most distinguished English politicians and intellectuals.

One of the members was the politician Alfred Lyttleton whose first wife Laura often modelled for the artist. BurneJones inscribed a personal dedication to her in the lower left-hand corner of the painting.

It was so small however, no one noticed it.

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THE PERSEUS SERIES

PERSEUS & THE GRAIAE (1877)

† NCM 1900- 664-8

The first task for Perseus was to find the Graiae and ask them where he could find the Nymphs who kept the items he needed to defeat Medusa, a Gorgon with snakes in her hair and whose stare turned men into stone. The Graiae were sisters of the Gorgons, who lived in darkness near the end of the earth. Between them, they had only one eye and one tooth that they shared. When they refused Perseus's request he took the eye and forced them to give him an answer. Burne-Jones shows Perseus holding the eye while the Graiae, portrayed in classical dress, grope in blindness.

In 1875 the politician Lord Arthur Balfour commissioned Burne-Jones to create a series of paintings for the music room of his London home. BurneJones’s work was often inspired by mythology and legend and presented an imaginary world focused on beauty of form and spirit. A re-telling of the Greek myth of Perseus in William Morris’s poem ‘The Earthly Paradise’ provided the subject.

Burne-Jones worked on the project for ten years but it was never completed.

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PERSEUS & THE SEA NYMPHS (THE ARMING OF PERSEUS) (1877)

THE ROCK OF DOOM (1885)

As he travelled back to Seriphos, The Perseus myth would have Perseus spied a beautiful young been told as a story and passed woman chained to a rock. down the generations, so there This was Andromeda whose are many different versions and mother had boasted of her different orders to the events. beauty and incurred the wrath In his version, Burne-Jones of the god Poseidon. In order follows Perseus from the Graiae to break the sea god's curse to the Sea Nymphs who keep Andromeda was to be sacrificed three items vital to his quest: to a sea serpent. Burne-Jones the winged sandals of the god shows Perseus removing his Hermes, a helmet of invisibility helmet and revealing himself belonging to Hades (god of the to the girl, who looks modestly Underworld) and a bag in which embarrassed rather than to keep the severed Gorgon's terrified. Perseus immediately head. Burne-Jones’s empty fell in love and resolved to landscape focuses attention save her. Her pose here recalls on the figures and presents a that of classical sculpture, but seemingly calm scene. her nakedness also embodies vulnerability and the highly sensual female figure.

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THE DOOM FULFILLED (1885)

THE BALEFUL HEAD (1885)

Perseus freed Andromeda from her chains and waited for the sea monster to appear. The beast attempted to crush Perseus in its coils but in Burne-Jones’s battle he calmly holds off the serpent and prepares to strike with his sword. Andromeda's apparent lack of concern is characteristic of Burne-Jones’s female figures who often have an otherworldly beauty and detachment from their situation. Her static figure provides balance to the volatile movements of Perseus and the sea monster.

The final painting in the series shows Perseus and Andromeda at peace in a beautiful and fruitful garden. In order to convince Andromeda that he is the son of Zeus and claim her hand in marriage, Perseus shows her Medusa's head, taking care to look only at the reflection in the water. Despite Medusa traditionally being cast as a hideous creature, Burne-Jones presents her with far more attractive and softer features than one would expect.

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PYGMALION & THE IMAGE

THE HEART DESIRES (1878)

† NCM 1900- 613-616

In this scene, Pygmalion contemplates his lonely existence. He is not looking at the living women in the doorway, or the statue of the three graces. Instead deep in thought, he ignores all the female forms, and looks instead at the floor.

The story of Pygmalion was adopted by a number of British artists and writers. In a patriarchal society vexed by the ‘woman question’, referring to an intellectual debate on the nature of women and feminist campaigns for social change after the 1700s, the idea of creating or moulding your own ideal woman would have appealed. This story was the inspiration for George Bernard Shaw’s play ‘Pygmalion’ in 1913, which later became the basis for the 1956 Broadway musical ‘My Fair Lady’ by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Lowe.

THE HAND REFRAINS (1878) Alone in his studio he carves the figure of a beautiful naked woman in marble and promptly falls in love with it. He prays to Venus to bring the sculpture to life. Here, Pygmalion is depicted admiring his work, and we can see the tools at the base of the statue used to carve out the female figure.

Derived from Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’, it tells of the sculptor Pygmalion who decides to remain celibate because of his disgust for what he considers to be the immorality of the young women of Cyprus. The sculptor creates his own ideal woman in the form of a statue, who is given life by the goddess Venus.

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THE GODHEAD FIRES (1878)

THE SOUL ATTAINS (1878)

In this scene Venus visits the statue and grants Pygmalion’s wish of bringing his statue to life. The statue becomes a young woman named Galatea whom Pygmalion marries.

Venus is depicted floating above a pool of water to emphasise her divine power. Her delicate drapery accentuates Galatea’s vulnerability and nakedness.

There are now also doves and flowers that were not previously present, as life has been brought to the studio. The similarity between the two female forms emphasises the notion of ideal beauty.

In the final scene, Pygmalion discovers his statue has come to life, and he kneels at her feet whilst she gazes off into the distance. Galatea evokes an air of mystery. The model for the statue, the dream woman, was his mistress Maria Zambaco.

Maria was a sculptor herself, although her artistic reputation has virtually been forgotten.

In Pygmalion Galatea is under the control of her creator, but Maria was the opposite, making demands upon Burne-Jones that he was unwilling or incapable of fulfilling. The entire series of the Pygmalion paintings was commissioned between 1875-78

by Euphrosyne Cassavetti, Maria Zambaco’s mother.

With the title of each scene, Burne-Jones has created a poem: The Heart Desires, The Hand Refrains, The Godhead Fires, The Soul Attains.

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DAYS OF CREATION † NCM 1900-617, 619, 622 He presents various Angels holding magical orbs, each containing divine manifestation for different realms. The first Angel selected is holding an orb that represents the division of light and darkness, whilst the next scene represents the division of water and land.

The final piece represents the creation of the Adam and Eve, whilst the ‘Day of Rest’ is symbolised by an Angel seated holding a musical instrument.

The burning feathery flame of each Angel distinguishes them from the other Angels in the previous scenes.

These designs were created repeatedly in a variety of mediums, including stained glass, oil and gouache. They are considered one of Burne-Jones’s greatest works. They portray the Christian story of Creation as told in the book of Genesis. In total, there are six panels, one for each day with the Angel at rest on the bottom of the sixth panel. We are showing three panels here.

The Days of Creation was an unusual theme for an artist of the time to undertake, and Burne-Jones may have been one of the first artists to explore this concept since medieval times. Perhaps Burne-Jones saw parallels between God’s artistry and his own human creativity as an artist.

Burne-Jones clerical ambitions in early life were a lasting influence in his artistry. This piece was made during a period of withdrawal from public exhibitions, and was originally designed as a stained glass cartoon in 1870 in collaboration with William Morris, the British textile designer, poet, novelist, translator, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement.

The model for these Angels was William Morris’s eldest daughter, Jenny.

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EDWARD BURNE-JONES: Forms Divinely Beautiful Prints from Nottingham City Museums’ Collection Newstead Abbey, Ravenshead 8 February to 12 July 2020 newsteadabbey.org.uk In 1900, Nottingham City Museums purchased a folio of prints, one of 200 such reproductions of Sir Edward Burne-Jones’s (1833-1898) paintings, compiled by his son Philip, to celebrate and promote his famous father’s work.

In this exhibition we celebrate these prints again and revisit the subjects and stories depicted, examining Burne-Jones’s unique eye and his development of the Aesthetic style, as well as his serene and dreamlike portrayal of female beauty.

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