Head of Maria Zambaco (London 1843 - Paris 1914)
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones (Birmingham 1833 - London 1898)
Category
Art / Drawings and watercolours
Date
circa 1866 - circa 1869
Materials
Red chalk on paper
Measurements
574 mm (h) x 484 mm (w) x 26 mm (d)
Order this imageCollection
Wightwick Manor, West Midlands
NT 1287929
Summary
Red chalk drawing on textured paper (circular mount), Head of Maria Zambaco (London 1843 - Paris 1914) by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones (Birmingham 1833 - London 1898), signed with initials within heart lower centre: EBJ, circa 1866 -69. A circular profile portrait of a girl to left, curly hair taken back and with her eyes lowered. Datable as a study for Hymenaeus, Delaware Art Museum, painted as a gift to Zambaco's first cousin Luke Ionides on his marriage to Elfrida Bird in August 1869.
Full description
This may be a study for the picture The Wine of Circe (1863-9); other very similar studies for it exist (information from Simon Toll). However, the identification is not certain: in the picture Circe is bent over and her head is tilted back rather than forward as in this drawing, and her eyes are open rather than closed. From about 1865 onwards, starting with Circe and St Theophilus and the Angel, Burne-Jones began his practice of producing large numbers of studies for pictures, of figures, faces, drapery and details. This reflected his determination to improve his draughtsmanship - "bad drawing" was the most frequent criticism of his work at this period. The technique of soft chalks and textured paper was much used by Burne-Jones in the 1860s. Comparable profile head studies in the technique include Two Female Heads of circa 1864 (Birmingham Art Gallery), with what Stephen Wildman has described as "a rich grainy texture to shadows and background." (Visions of Life and Love, Virginia 1995, No. 79). He used it also for finished drawings such as Study of a Girl (in a dress with puffed sleeves) [WIG/ D/ 50, Great Parlour], Study of a young woman [WIG/ D/ 98, Honeysuckle Room], Study of Maria Zambaco [WIG/ D/ 49] and Head of Augusta Jones [WIG/ D/ 51, both Indian Bird Room]. The exhibition of Circe in 1869 helped to establish Burne-Jones' reputation. The model for the finished picture, and probably for this study, was Maria Zambaco. Burne-Jones described her beauty: "It was a wonderful head, neither profile was quite like the other - and the full face was different again." For more information on her and her tempestuous relationship with Burne-Jones see Rossetti's Maria Cassavetti, Mrs Zambaco (WIG/ D/ 64).
Provenance
Thomas Ayres; his posthumous sale, Christie's, 23rd April 1906 (11, as Head of a Girl) bought in; Miss Sylvia Crawshay; by whom given to Wightwick Manor in 1975/ [transferred to the National Trust on the death of Sir Geoffrey Le Mesurier Mander (1882-1962)]
Marks and inscriptions
Fany (?) Head by Sir E Burne Jones £25/9 5 74 et 1-1 127;Hampton and Sons (label written in ink)
Makers and roles
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones (Birmingham 1833 - London 1898) , artist
References
Spencer-Longhurst 2011 Paul Spencer-Longhurst, 'Works on paper by Rossetti, Burne-Jones and their contemporaries recently donated to Wightwick Manor', The Burlington Magazine, Vol CLII, no. 1297, April 2011, pp. 232-240, 10. fig. 26