Throughout his life Burne-Jones's fey sense of humour found an outlet in caricatures, often sketched in the company of friends or in letters to them, and they counterpoint the seriousness of his studio work. They often poke fun at obesity, in parody of Rubens; here, four gondoliers struggle to row with an enormous naked figure. Burne-Jones was a thin man, but his friends William and Jane Morris were inclined to fat, and underlying the Rabelaisian humour is genuine concern for his friends' health. Burne-Jones's wife Georgiana was rather high-minded, and Graham Robertson believed that 'EB-J's surroundings were so extremely correct and proper that I think he had to break out occasionally
Burne-Jones's passionate 'misdemeanour' with Maria Zambaco began in the late 1860s and continued for about three years. She was an exceptionally beautiful member of the London Greek colony and had some skill as a sculptress. The impact that their affair had on Burne-Jones was profound yet it was very much an offshoot of Rossetti's liaisons with Elizabeth Siddal and Jane Morris. Like Rossetti, he saw Maria as a symbol of his muse as much as a fleshy reality; the drawings and paintings of her are permeated by a quality of unearthly beauty and sadness. It may well be that the reason for the withdrawal from The Old watercolour Society of 'Phyllis and Demophoon' in 1869 was that it portrayed Maria semi-nude clutching an almost nude man, the reference to his personal affairs being too close for the satisfaction of the committee. The present collection of comic drawings gives a rare insight into the relationship, revealing a whimsy and parody that characterise a liaison that was more than purely sensual.