In the mid 1860s the artist had entered a time of disquiet and introspection. His search for wider experiences as a mature human being began. With his marriage at a critical stage, particularly after Georgiana suffered a miscarriage, and on encountering the more sophisticated and sexually complex figures of Swinburne and Simeon Solomon in addition to Rossetti, the artist in him became discontent with what his wife and a conventional marriage had to offer. At that moment he was commissioned to paint a portrait by Euphrosyne Cassavetti of her daughter Maria Zambaco, the estranged wife of a Parisian doctor. Maria was an unusual person to find in respectable circles. She was liberated, talented, very beautiful and was considered “fast”. She broke through the reticence of the artist and a passionate affair ensued. Once again the work he produced directly relates to the circumstances in his life. For a while he eschews cloistral medieval themes and introduces sensual neoclassical figures with loosely fitting clothes that stress the body beneath. He had embarked upon this neo-classical phase from studying the Elgin marbles in the British Museum. Nudity begins to take its place in his paintings and caused notoriety when he exhibited “Phyllis and Demophoon” at the Watercolour Society in 1870, where the semi-nude Phyllis (Maria) clasps the explicitly nude son of Theseus and Phaedra. Overt sensuality was intolerable to mid-Victorian society and the work had to be withdrawn. Unperturbed Edward proceeded with his personal iconography to the point that in 1881 he repainted the work on a huge scale as “The Tree of Forgiveness”, where Maria, now totally naked, clasps Demophone, whose sexuality is discretely covered. Maria continued as his muse henceforward and either she or a model with similar features is often to be found within his works. “Love among the Ruins” (two versions 1870 & 1893-94) allegorises his mental state toward the end of the affair with Maria. Lovers clasped in an intimate embrace originated from a series of drawings he had made in the late 1860’s and placing them amidst classical ruins derives from an image found in the Hypnerotomachi, but Burne-Jones chose to play down the sexually charged atmosphere contained in the illustration to develop an elegiac painting quite distinct from this point of departure. “Love among the Ruins” became the artist’s public statement at this, the lowest point in his personal life. He exhibited it at the Dudley Gallery in 1873.
Liana Cheney quotes a note on the back of the painting 'This oil painting of "Love Among the Ruins" is the same design as the one of the same name which I painted in watercolours twenty one years ago, but which was destroyed in August last year. The present picture I began at once, and have made it as like as possible to the other, and have finished it the day April 23, 1894.' "Edward Burne-Jones on Nature" by Liana De Girolami Cheney, published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2021 p. 22
Rossetti letter to Madox Brown 23 January 1869: Poor Ned's affairs have come to a smash altogether, and he and Topsy, after the most dreadful to-do, started for Rome suddenly, leaving the Greek damsel beating up the quarters of all his friends for him and howling like Cassandra. Georgie stayed behind. I hear to-day however that Top and Ned got no further than Dover, Ned being so dreadfully ill that they will probably have to return to London.
Photograph showing section of the British Pavilion, Paris Exhibition 1900, two of the Holy Grail tapestries woven for George McCulloch (Exhibition Catalogue held in the V&A)
Fitzwilliam Account book 1891 By Stanmore Arras cartoons 1894 Dec 31/94 Stanmore tapestry designs 1000 Walker and Boutall appear to have taken over from Frederick Hollyer as photographers for Morris & Co. in 1890.
In 1898-99 a complete set of narrative panels and one verdure were made for George McCulloch, London – he was a colleague of Knox-D’Arcy and had presumably seen the originals in situ. ‘The Summons’ from this set was acquired by BMT in 1980, the other four were bought by Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1994. In 1900 ‘The Ship’ and a verdure were made for Mrs Mary Middleton and these were some of the last tapestries made by Morris and Co. They were acquired by BMT in 1947. (BMT = Birmingham Museum Trust)
In January 1869 his wife Georgina found a letter from Maria in his clothing and Burne-Jones reluctantly ended the affair.