The "Perseus series" is one of Burne-Jones's most ambitious projects and is one of his greatest artistic successes - although the extensive work remained unfinished. In the spring of 1875, the series was commissioned by the aspiring Conservative politician Arthur Balfour for the dining room of his London home at 4 Carlton Gardens. The artist was supposed to work on it for ten years. Burne-Jones's works are mostly inspired by mythological themes and fairy tales, presenting a fantastic world focused on the beauty of form and spirit. The Perseus series is based on William Morris's poem "The Doom of King Acrisius" from The Earthly Paradise and tells the story of the hero Perseus, son of the King of Argos. Over the years, Burne-Jones changed his first overall design, changed the details of his compositions and produced composition studies in gouache as well as in this case numerous details and personal studies in pencil. The present study was used to design the Nereids, the three women who appear on the right in his painting "Perseus and the Sea Nymphs". The painting, which is now in the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart (Inv.Nr.3104), was created in the years 1875-77.