The Sleeping Princess is one of a number of paintings inspired by The Legend of the Briar Rose, which Burne-Jones painted between c. 1871 and 1894 and reveals his love of challenging compositional arrangements stemming from the use of horizontal or vertical canvases. This work differs from his other versions of The Sleeping Princess in its restrained, verdant colour tones and the inclusion of an hour-glass emphasising the passage of time and the legend's underlying theme of the transition from girlhood to womanhood. In 1890, paintings from The Briar Rose series were shown to critical acclaim at Agnew's, his art dealers in London, marking the apotheosis of his career. (JO'D) From The Dublin City Art Gallery website entry 30/10/2019 The tension of the first version (Ponce ) is continued in this version created by the weight of the maiden being carried upon her elbow, thus giving the impression of a body not at ease.. The the final version ( Buscot ), the sleeping maiden is more relaxed through her head being supported by a large pillow thus relieving her arm of it pressure. The sensualism based upon the affair with Zambaco of the two early versions gives way to sweetly relaxed figure based upon his daughter.
21 April 1895 Agnew has just got hold of the last of the "Briar Rose" series of 3 pictures, The Sleeping Beauty. (198) it is fine but not deep enough in colour to please me entirely; still it is a beautiful picture, it goes to the New Gallery where there will be the Expulsion of Lucifer from Heaven (212) and two portraits besides.7 7. The Fall of Lucifer, One of the portraits was of Lady Windsor. The identity of the other has not been determined.