In 1880 the piano makers Broadwood completed a piano which had been designed and decorated by Burne-Jones. The instrument was a present for Frances Graham from her father, William, one of Burne-Jones's most devoted patrons. On the sides of the piano Burne-Jones painted a number of scenes from the story of Orpheus in grey monochrome. The studies shown here predate his main work on the project and only two of them were eventually used (nos.33 and 36). Throughout his career Burne-Jones was interested in the possibilities of reforming the appearance of pianos, referring to them as the 'very altar of homes, and a second hearth to people'. Gallery label, August 2004
According to Burne-Jones’ account books, these drawings were made in 1872, seven years before Burne-Jones designed the circular roundels for the exterior of a famous piano made for his most loyal patron William Graham. Burne-Jones chose a suitably musical subject for the imagery, depicting the story of the musician Orpheus, who ventured to the Underworld to plead with Pluto and Proserpine for life to be restored to his wife Eurydice, who had been killed by a snake-bite. There are a set of ten pencil designs for the piano panels at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Of the earlier gouache designs, there are examples at Tate and in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge and two more are known, Orpheus Losing Eurydice and Orpheus Encountering Sisyphus (Christie’s, London, 7 June 2001, lot 24 and 25). Burne-Jones's friendship with William De Morgan is well known and one copper lustre dish with Orpheus playing his harp at its centre is acknowledged to having been designed by Burne-Jones. This is dated c.1880, but we consider it to be c.1875. Many of De Morgan's early figurative designs were inspired by Burne-Jones and it is here suggested that this early series roundels of Orpheus made 1872 were to be used as designs for ceramic plaques by De Morgan. As yet no plaques have appeared and the project may have proved too difficult and the abandoned designs were later adapted for the Graham piano.