Originally part of the mosaic scheme commissioned by the American Church in Rome in 1882, Lucifer was ultimately not included but the design was reused for the present oil painting. There are numerous sketches associated with the painting in The Secret Book of Designs in the British Museum. Inscription around the picture reads: NECQUE. LOCUS. INVENTUS EST. EORU. AMPLIUS. IN. COELO ET. PROIECTUS. EST. DRACO. ILLE. MAGNUS. SERPENS. ANTIQUUS. ET. ANGELI. EIUS. CUM. ILLO. MISSI. SUNT. PROPTEREA. LAETAMINI. COELI. ET. QUI HABITATIS. IN. EIS. VAE. TERRAE. ET. MARI. QUIA. DESCENDIT. DIABOLUS. AD. VOS. HABENS. IRA. MAGNA.SCIENS. QUOD. MODICU. TEMPUS. HABET. AUDIVI. VOCEM. MAGNAM. IN. COELO. DICENTEM. NUNC. FACTA. EST. SALUS. ET. VIRTUS. ET. REGNUM. DEI. NOSTRI. ET. POTESTAS. CHRISTI. EIUS. ET. FACTUM. EST. PROELIUM. MAGNUM/ IN. COELO. MICHAEL. ET. ANGELI. EIUS. PROELIA BANTUR. CUM. DRACONE. ET. DRACO. PUCNABAT. ET. ANGELI. EIUS. ET. NON. VALUERUNT. The Bodleian Manuscript MS. Junius 11, a poem called Genesis B, attributed to the Anglo Saxon poet Caedmon, is profusely illustrated and deals with Lucifer's arrogance and eventual casting out of Heaven into Hell. Burne-Jones and Morris, with their intense admiration for medieval manuscripts, while they were students at Oxford would naturally have been drawn to search it out. Burne-Jones later made numerous journeys back to Oxford and it would appear that he again viewed the manuscript as there is a relationship between his use of imagery and that found within the Anglo Saxon illustrations, particularly in the Secret Book of Designs.
The Fall of Lucifer ... gave Edward much trouble: 'Never was such an unruly crowd: but they are tamed at last and the doors are shut tight and fast behind them. ' He pacified himself by painting this subject instead of making the mosaic of it that he longed to do, for the design was one he especially cared about; but he said that when it was done people did not know how to take it because it was different from his usual work, and they could not tell whether to praise or deplore this." Memorials 1904 Vol II pp. 257-258
EB-J letter to Frances Horner (Frances Graham) December 1895 ... I am at work at Lucifer most days, the most troublesome picture I have on hand - downright hard I find it and full of problems; and I have to mount a ladder to reach it, and never, no never, remember the bottom step - and altogether I have known much better times - but, as you say, I have much to be thankful for.
21 April 1895 Agnew has just got hold of the last of the "Briar Rose" series of 3 pictures, The Sleeping Beauty. (198) it is fine but not deep enough in colour to please me entirely; still it is a beautiful picture, it goes to the New Gallery where there will be the Expulsion of Lucifer from Heaven (212) and two portraits besides.7 7. The Fall of Lucifer, One of the portraits was of Lady Windsor. The identity of the other has not been determined.