This drawing is datable to the years 1869-70 when Burne-Jone's work shows close parallels with that of William Morris. One of their planned joint ventures was that Burne-Jones should produce a series of designs to illustrate Morris's cycle of narrative poems The Earthly Paradise published between 1865 and 1870. Although the scheme was abandoned, stories such as Danae, Cupid and Psyche and Pygmalion which found poetic form in the Earthly Paradise provided Burne-Jones with pictorial inspiration from the late 1860's till the end of his life. This drawing may be a projected design for one of the Earthly Paradise illustrations since the composition is framed by pencil lines and is of the same size as the artist's pencil designs on tracing paper for his Cupid and Psyche illustrations of the same series. The subject of this drawing was certainly treated by the artist in three famous paintings, the earliest of which was dated from around 1869 is in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Although the composition of the Ashmolean pictures is an upright one, the pose of Danae who anxiously watches the building of the tower through a doorway, is the same as in [this drawing; the background however is far less finished. Another version of Danae and the brazen tower is in the Fogg Art Museum while the final most finished version is in Glasgow Art Gallery. According to the legend, Acrisius, king of Argos, was warned by an oracle that the son borne by his daughter Danae, would kill him. He gave orders for her to be imprisoned in a brazen tower where in spite of the impenetrable walls, Zeus appeared in a shower of golden rain and seduced her. She bore him a son, the famous hero Perseus. Bonhams 2011
This drawing is earlier than was stated when it was sold by Bonhams in 2011. Burne-Jones made a list of twenty eight illustrations for Morris's Doom of King Acrisius, which are listed in a sketchbook of c.1865 held in the Fitzwilliam Museum Acc. no.1070-2 page 77, the first of which "Danae in garden looking at tower being built". The style of the drawing corresponds to that of c. 1866-67 when the project was being planned. There is no disputing the dates given to the Fogg and the Ashmolean versions of "Danae" as these appear in the Fitzwilliam work list. However there are reasons to suggest that these may be incorrect as stylistically these works are far removed from that of the early 1870s, they most resemble the work of the late 1860s and for this reason appear anachronistic within Burne-Jones's artistic development. The original drawing for The Earthly Paradise was made in c. 1868 and the two versions held by the Fogg and Ashmolean, would appear to have been made a short time after with the aid of an assistant. By the early 1870s, Burne-Jones had become less generalized and more focused on clarity of line, concentrating on greater detail, strongly influenced by his recent study of the Italian Masters during his visit to Italy in 1871. The majority of the dates given in the work list are entirely correct, but there are some inaccuracies in Burne-Jones's work list as evidenced by Georgiana's corrections. It is impossible to ascertain the direct source for Burne--Jones's information about his earlier work, but this may have been his extensive collection of numbered sketchbooks. He was making the list in the 1890s with an imperfect memory prompted by his relative Malcom Bell, who was working on a life and work of the artist ( Sir Edward Burne-Jones A Record and Review, pub 1892) and thus the situation inevitably allowed the introduction of errors, this has to be borne in mind when considering the dating of works before 1870. It is therfore suggested here that the two works in the Ashmolean and the Fogg date from between 1867 and 1869.