A Lady looking over her Shoulder
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones (Birmingham 1833 - London 1898)
Category
Art / Drawings and watercolours
Date
circa 1864
Materials
Red chalk on textured paper
Measurements
520 x 410 mm
Order this imageCollection
Wightwick Manor, West Midlands
NT 1287965
Summary
Red chalk drawing on textured paper, A Lady looking over her Shoulder by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones (Birmingham 1833 - London 1898), signed with initials in heart, lower right, EBJ, 1864. A portrait study of a young woman, possibly Maria Zambaco, from the back and looking over her right shoulder.
Full description
Drawing was central to Burne-Jones' art . This is one of five fine drawings (all from Miss Crawshay's collection) in the chalk technique characteristic of Burne-Jones's work of the mid-1860s. He used it both for figure studies for paintings such as those for Green Summer of c.1864 (Birmingham Art Gallery) and in highly finished drawings such as this, in what Stephen Wildman describes as "this style of soft chalk on fairly heavy paper, which gives a rich grainy texture to shadows and background." (Visions of Life and Love, Virginia 1995, No. 79) This and the other drawings also reflect Burne-Jones' growing interest in Italian Renaissance and classical art, especially after his second visit to Italy in 1862. Compositions and treatment of details, notably drapery, derive from his studies of Renaissance painting and Greek and Roman sculpture. The dress reflects the interest in decoratively-patterned folds of drapery characteristic of his later work. The pose, with the half-length figure turned to the right and the right arm raised but the head shown full face over the shoulder, is similar to that of the Study of a Girl (with puffed sleeves) [WIG/ D/ 50, Great Parlour], and Maria Zambaco [WIG/ D/ 49] and Head of a young woman [WIG/ D/ 51, both Indian Bird Room].
Provenance
Thomas Ayres; his posthumous sale, Christie's, 23rd April 1906 (8), as a Head of a Youth [sic]; bought in; Miss Sylvia Crawshay; by whom given to Wightwick Manor in 1975
Marks and inscriptions
Typed label on back.
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, 7.fig. 28