Study for 'The Mirror of Venus': Kneeling Female Figure
c. 1873–77
Medium
Graphite on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
25.3 × 17.8 cm (10 × 7 1/16 in.)
Classification
graphite
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
78921
Art Historical Context
This delicate graphite study by Sir Edward Burne-Jones created around 1873–77, captures a kneeling female figure as preparatory work for his larger painting *The Mirror of Venus*. Burne-Jones, a leading figure in the Pre-Raphaelite and later the Aesthetic Movement, was renowned for his ethereal, dreamlike depictions of idealized women drawn from classical mythology and medieval romance. Here, the poised pose hints at the contemplative beauty of Venus and her nymphs gazing into a reflective pool, a theme exploring vanity, harmony, and feminine grace. Executed on ivory wove paper—a smooth, high...
About the Artist
Sir Edward Burne-Jones · 1833–1898
Edward Coley Burne-Jones was born on 28 August 1833 in Birmingham, the son of a frame-maker, and lost his mother within a week of his birth. He attended King Edward VI Grammar School and the Birmingham School of Art before proceeding to Exeter College, Oxford, in 1852, intending to study theology. At Oxford he formed a lifelong friendship with William Morris, and the two young men became intoxicat...