Study for “Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs”

Frederic William Burton

c.1864

Watercolour and gouache on paper

11 x 7 ¼inches (28 x 18.4 cm).

Private Collection

This is one of more than twenty preparatory studies Burton made for his major watercolour version. A more finished watercolour study sold at the Irish auction house Fonsie Mealy in March 2018. In this earlier watercolour study Hellelil’s dress is lime green while in the later study the colour of her dress has now been changed to the more effective blue colour. The earlier watercolour study also differs from the finished watercolour in minor compositional details, particularly the costume worn by Hildebrand.

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