King Cophetua and the Beggar Maid is a work of crucial importance in Burne-Jones' career. It made an enormous impression when it was exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery in 1884, The Times declaring that it was 'not only the finest work that Mr Burne-Jones has ever painted... but one of the finest pictures ever painted by an Englishman'; and it established his reputation in France when it was shown at the Exposition Universelle in Paris five years later. It was presented to the Tate Gallery by a body of subscribers in 1900, and is still one of the artist's most famous works. These studies are very much working drawings, made to clarify details during the painting process. The two for the figure of the King are comparable to a pair of studies bought by the Birmingham City Art Gallery from Colnaghi in 1972 (nos. 73/72 abd 74/72). The third study is for the drapery of the Beggar Maid, a passage to which Burne-Jones gave much thought. Many studies for it exist, most of them (including this one) differing considerably from the final solution.
Initially exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery, 1884. Pencil on paper. 1 vols. 13-1/4 x 9-1/4 in. STUDY FOR A BURNE-JONES MASTERPIECE. Edward Coley Burne-Jones (1833-1898), was "The most important artist in the later phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement and a figure of enormous influence at home and abroad" (Christian). He was born in Birmingham, the son of a frame-maker; originally planning for a career in the Church, at Oxford "he and his friend William Morris came under the influence of Ruskin and the Pre-Raphaelites, and decided to devote themselves to art". Burne-Jones embarked on a distinguished career. For many years he seldom exhibited, relying on the support of devoted patrons, but in 1877 he began exhibiting at London's Grosvenor Gallery; his large paintings "caused a sensation, revealing him as the 'star' of the Grosvenor, a key figure in the Aesthetic Movement, and one of the leading artists of the day . the [peak] of his later career [was] the exhibition of King Cophetua and the Beggar Maid at the Grosvenor in 1884 . " During the 1890s he enjoyed an international reputation, "being especially fashionable in Symbolist circles in Paris, where King Cophetua was received with great acclaim at the Exposition Universelle of 1889". He was created a baronet by Queen Victoria in 1894. Christian, The Last Romantics, pp. 79 et seq Pencil on paper. 1 vols. 13-1/4 x 9-1/4 in Initially exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery, 1884. Bookseller Inventory # 15875 James Cummins Bookseller 2019