Like the Cupid and Psyche series (cat. nos. 4oa-l), the Pygmalion paintings derive from drawings made as part of a proposed illustrated edition of Morris's cycle of poems The Earthly Paradise. In his work record Burne-Jones lists "12 subjects from Pygmalion" undertaken in 1867, and variations on these account for some twenty-eight surviving drawings, most of which are in the Birmingham collection. 1 From these he dis- tilled a sequence of four images, which tell the basic story of Pygmalion and the Image, as given in the preamble to one of the shortest poems in Morris's collection: "A man of Cyprus, a sculptor named Pygmalion, made an image of a woman, fairer than any that had been seen, and in the end came to love his own handiwork as though it had been alive: wherefore, pray- ing to Venus for help, he obtained his end, for she made the image alive indeed, and a woman, and Pygmalion wedded her." A first set of small oils (see illus. on p. 217) was commissioned in 1868 by Euphrosyne Cassavetti, the mother of Maria Zambaco, and completed in 1870. 2 Painted during the period of his infatuation with Maria (see cat. nos. 48, 49), these have a romantic, personal quality that goes beyond the appropriate- ness of the subject to her own talent as a sculptor: an interest- ing psychological interpretation is raised of the depiction of an artist balancing the creation of an aesthetic ideal against the reality of physical passion. The later oils have a lighter colour- ing and a sharper, clearer handling of detail and tone; they were begun in 1875 and finished in time for the second exhibition at the Grosvenor Gallery in 1878. They received a muted response from the critics, but Henry James, surprised at Burne-Jones's already huge following — "what is called in London a craze"' — nonetheless found Pygmalion to have "as much as ever the great merit — the merit of having a great charm." 3 In The Heart Desires (the quatrain was supplied by Morris), Pygmalion is shown musing over the perfection of the female form, represented by a sculpture group in the traditional atti- tude of the Three Graces. Burne-Jones adds to the contrast with the earthy, frivolous local girls by giving the marble figures an abstractly disjointed reflection, one of his more than occasional excursions into pure painting of a very modern kind. The more detailed scene of The Hand Refrains offers a greater focus on the smooth perfection of the female form that the sculptor has created, underscored by the pile of rough chip- pings at her feet. A pentimento is clearly visible where, perhaps deciding there was too much distracting detail, Burne-Jones has painted out a large jar standing on the floor. The Godhead Fires, which depicts Venus with Pygmalion s cre- ation, Galatea, shows a substantial change from the first version, Burne-Jones having eliminated the background vignette of Pygmalion praying at an altar. The figure of Venus has been made more unearthly by the substitution of diaphanous material for the former heavy drapery. A pencil study for the head of Galatea, dated 1870 (Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery), 4 has the unmistakable features of Maria Zambaco, but in both versions of the painting the resemblance has been diluted. This limpid composition was the most admired of the series: "We can scarcely imagine the story of Pygmalion being told more beau- tifully," wrote one critic, "and the canvas on which we see Venus imparting to Galatea the gift of life is worthy of Raphael." 5 The Soul 'Attains was little altered from the 1870 oil. According to Georgiana Burne-Jones, the model for Pygmalion in the sec- ond version was the metalworker W. A. S. Benson (1854-1924). 6 1. Twenty-two drawings, on tracing paper, are at Birmingham (612-632*27); three are in the William Morris Gallery, Walthamstow, and three more were in an album sold at Sotheby's, November 10, 1981, lot 26. An annotat- ed list of the studies appears in Andreas Bluhm, "Pygmalion: Die Ikono- graphie einer Kunstlermythos zwischen 1500 und 1900," Europaische Hochschuhchriften (European University Studies) 90 (1988), pp. 261-64. 2. Harrison and Waters 1973, colourpls. 20-23, an d Art Services International 1995-96, figs. 93, 96, 97, 99; sold at Sotheby's, June 8-9, 1993, lot 24. A reference in Burne-Jones's work record seems to suggest that this first set of oils was retouched in 1883. 3. Nation, May 29, 1879; reprinted in James 1956, p. 182. 4. Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery (6i'24); reproduced in Art Services International 1995-96, fig. 98. 5. Art Journal, July 1879, p. 135. 6. Memorials, vol. 2, p. 81.
According to Fairfax Murray ( David B Elliot, The Unknown Pre-Raphaelite, 2000) he assisted in the painting of the first two of the first series. David Posnett of the Leger Galleries asserted that the series was owned by William Yates prior to 1967, but no information about this is as yet available. Manuscript illustrations from fol. 149r Le roman de la rose Shelfmark: Bodleian Library MS. Douce 195 Holding Institution: Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford Date Statement: 15th century, end Place of Origin: France Language: French, Middle (ca. 1400-1600) Catalogue Description: Catalogue of Western Medieval Manuscripts in Oxford Libraries Author: Guillaume de Lorris Jean de Meun Burne-Jones and Morris visited the Bodleian library to look at manuscripts while they were students, so that from an early age they were aware of this script.