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Study of a Young Woman's Head
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones (English, 1833–1898)
about 1895
Medium/Technique
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
61 x 45.7 cm (24 x 18 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Robert Walcott
Accession Number05.105
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsPaintings
Influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite style, Burne-Jones presented idealized feminine beauty in his art. This work focuses on the beauty of the subject by depicting her profile against a diffused blue background. Her haunting, sensuous femininity is characteristic of the Pre-Raphaelite portrayal of women.
ProvenanceJuly 16, 1898, posthumous Burne-Jones studio sale, Christie, Manson and Woods, London, lot 60, to P. and D. Colnaghi, London (stock no. 896) [see note 1]; 1905, sold by Colnaghi to Robert Walcott, Boston; gift of Robert Walcott to the MFA. (Accession Date: October 19, 1905)
NOTES:
[1] According to notes in the curatorial file, a Colnaghi label on the reverse of the painting reads "Purchased by us on July 16, 1898 at Messrs. Christie, Manson, etc., lot 60A, sale of remaining works by Sir Edward Burne-Jones sold by order of his executors." The description of lot 60 in the catalogue reads "A study of a female head," and the lot number may therefore have been mistaken for "60A."
NOTES:
[1] According to notes in the curatorial file, a Colnaghi label on the reverse of the painting reads "Purchased by us on July 16, 1898 at Messrs. Christie, Manson, etc., lot 60A, sale of remaining works by Sir Edward Burne-Jones sold by order of his executors." The description of lot 60 in the catalogue reads "A study of a female head," and the lot number may therefore have been mistaken for "60A."