This design is very near to that used for the final production in mosaic, which was adapted to suit the architectural context. The poses of the figures are somewhat different in the final version implying that this drawing was not made from life.
August 12. 1897 My dear Murray I am much in / need of your help in a little / matter – and briefly it is this - / There appeared a week ago in / one of the newspapers some reproductions / from designs by Richmond for the / new mosaics in St. Paul’s / And one of them – an outstretched / figure of Christ on a tree whose / branches filled the lunette was so / very like the one I made for St. Paul’s / American Ch. In Rome, that the / similarity was noticed by many / & reported to me. / And I having a little / controversy with Richmond on the / subject / I was under the impression that / my treatment of the subject was / new – but I know too well how / memory fails me – and it may be that / Christ on the Tree of Life has been / done before – but I can’t remember / it. In the newspaper account / of the designs it is stated that / he found that treatment in an / old MS. But in a letter / from him to-day he say that / he found it in S. Clemente. / Could you find out for me if / there is any such design there / either in the Church or in / the pictures of the underground / church – it may be so – but / I should like to know for / certain – it still would not / affect the extraordinary resemblance / between my design of 4 years / ago, & his of to-day – but / still if it is possible to know / what the S. Clemente design is / I should be very glad. But not if it occasions you much / trouble – you may now be in / Rome, or may know some / Roman archaeologist who could / tell me. I specially don’t / want you to take trouble about / it – but I know no one lese / to appeal to. / believe me / Always your affect. / E. Burne-Jones