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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