Study for a figure of Merlin. This studio work would indicate that there were existing drawings for a planned painting which did not reach fruition. It is a remembrance made in the late 1880s of the Beguiling of Merlin and it is significant that the artist has chosen not to portray a bewitched figure but one which retains his magical powers signified by him holding a crystal ball. The projected painting may well have been a catharsis releasing the tension of the earlier painting (1872-7) reflecting a parallel in his relationship with Maria with whom he had resumed closer contact. Max Aitken, 1st Lord Beaverbrook was befriended by Rudyard Kipling who idolised his uncle Sir Edward Burne-Jones and it is possible that through this connection that Beaverbrook purchased this work.