The Wife of Ceteus burnt on the Pile of her Husband
1790–1800
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 1/8 × 4 1/2 in. (7.9 × 11.4 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Spencer Bickerton, 1933
Accession Number
33.69.11
Tags
Art Historical Context
This intimate drawing by Edward Francis Burney captures a dramatic and somber scene titled *The Wife of Ceteus burnt on the Pile of her Husband*. Created between 1790 and 1800, the work depicts a ritualistic funeral pyre, with figures gathered around flames that symbolize both loss and sacrifice. The small scale—measuring just over three by four inches—invites close viewing, emphasizing the emotional intensity of the moment. Burney employed pen and brown ink with gray wash to render the composition, a technique that allows for precise linework combined with soft tonal shading. This medium hei...
About the Artist
Edward Francis Burney · 1760–1848
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