Venus Epithalamia by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, Bt ARA

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Venus Epithalamia

Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, Bt ARA (1833-1898)

1871

Guache and gold paint on white paper

14 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches; 37 x 27 cm.

Provenance: The artist's studio sale, Christie's, 16 July 1898, lot 53 (44 guineas to Agnew); Francis 7th Earl Cowper, Panshanger, Hertfordshire and by descent to Lady Desborough, her sale Christies 1953 to William Scudamore Mitchell.

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"For Burne-Jones to paint Mary Zambaco as Venus, the goddess of love, was an obvious tribute to her, but there is also a more covert reference. The ttitle refers to the wedding of Venus, who in Greek mythology was unsuitably married to Vulcan and later fell in love with Mars. Mary also made an incongruous marriage and later fell oassionately in love with Burne-Jones. Mary leans on a plinth which supports a blindfoldeed cupid, areference to Mary as the victim of love.

"There are two versions of this painting. The first was a present for Maria Spartali on th eoccasion of her wedding to the American journalist, W. J. Stillman. It is now in the Fogg Art Gallery, Cambridge, Massachusetts. This painting is the second version, which was carefully underdrawn by Burne-Jones's studio assistant, Charles Fairfax Murray, and then finished by the master, which was the usual practice in the studio." (Waters, 45)

Bibliography

Hollyer, Frederick. Album of Photographs after the Work of Sir Edward Burne-Jones. London: c. 1885.

Waters, Bill. Burne-Jones — A Quest for Love: Works by Sir Edward Burne-Jones Bt and Related Works by Contemporary Artists. London: Peter Nahum, 1993. Catalogue number 23.

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Last modified 12 June 2020
Thanks to Chris White for e-mailing VW about a damaged image [24 October 2000]