About this objectThe subject is taken from Sir Thomas Malory's medieval text "Morte d'Arthur (Book XXI, chapters 5 and 6) in which King Arthur, mortally wounded, is taken to Avalon by his sister Queen Morgan le Fay and the queens of Northgalis and the Waste Lands. They wait for his recovery in the hope that he can continue his acts of selfless heroism. Burne-Jones' obsession with the piece reflects his own preoccupation with mortality and his endless experimentation with the design. He first thought of a triptych with 'Hill Fairies' in each of the wings attending the King, but this was rejected. Indeed he altered the composition so much that eventually it was painted for his own amusement rather than Hon. George Howard who had originally placed the commission. The work, not quite completed at Burne-Jones death is now in the Museo del Arte in Puerto Rico.
MakerBurne-Jones, Edward Coley (1833-1898)
Maker Roledraughtsman
Date Made1885
Period19th century
Medium and Materialsmedium: pencil on paper
Style and IconographyPre-Raphaelite
Style and IconographyLife drawing
Inscription and MarksEB.J. 1885
Method: signed and dated in pencil
Position: lower right hand side
Techniquepencil on paper
Measurementsmedium height: 26.3cm
medium width: 11cm
Subject and Association Keywordsnude
Credit LineOn permanent loan from Wirral Metropolitan College
