Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, Bt., A.R.A., R.W.S.

Study for The Wheel of Fortune (recto); Study of drapery (verso)

Lot Closed

July 13, 02:39 PM GMT

Estimate

1,500 - 2,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

Property from a British Private Collection

Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, Bt., A.R.A., R.W.S.

British

1833 - 1898

Study for The Wheel of Fortune (recto); Study of drapery (verso)

bears date 1879 on the reverse

pencil on paper, unframed

26.8 by 17.5cm., 10½ by 7in.

The artist's studio; thence to his daughter Margaret Mackail (her sale: Christie's, London, 3 December 1954)
Purchased at the above sale by a private collector; thence by descent

The Wheel of Fortune was Burne-Jones’ favourite painting according to his son Philip and it is certainly a masterpiece of Symbolist design. He worked on several versions for a period of ten years from the mid-1870s – the version at the Musée d’Orsay, exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery in 1883, is considered the prime version. Burne-Jones made many experiments for the drapery of Fortuna in The Wheel of Fortune. In some he designed an elaborate arrangement of braided hair, various cowls and veils before finally choosing a head garment that vaguely resembles a milkmaid’s cap. The arrangement of the folds of her dress also presented Burne-Jones with a myriad of options for the design.