Sketches of a Roman subarmalis and details sent to Aglaia to reconstruct in leather and fabric the costume, as it was to appear in the illuminated manuscript of Morris's translation in of the Aeneid. As a dressmaker and a bookbinder, she had the skills to work closely with Burne-Jones on the project.
An album containing eighty drawings, including caricatures of the artist, William Morris and Val Prinsep, humorous drawings of devils and a 'wallypug', and sketches of figures, heads, birds, horses, a cat, flowers, drapery, armour, head-dresses, wings. PD.58-1998 Album of eighty-seven drawings bound with pigskin and oak boards. As John Christian has pointed out, the pigskin spine and oak boards of the binding recall the 48 deluxe copies of the Kelmscott Chaucer, published in 1896. They were bound in full white pigskin over oak boards by the Doves Bindery set up near Morris's house in Hammersmith by T.J. Cobden-Sanderson in 1893. PD.58-1998.f.71 is blank and therefore not recorded elsewhere. John Christian has suggested that this album may have been compiled by Aglaia Coronio, a close friend of Morris, or by one of her relations, possibly her daughter alliope. Her brother Luke Ionides, recalls in his privately-published 'Memoirs' that he had, 'a set of [Burne-Jones] caricatures of [Morris] doing catherine wheels in Cavendish Square, and another at the Turkish Bath, where we had gone together' (1925; 1996 ed. p. 21). Further sheets in the album support the Ionides/Coronio provenance. The sketches of dresses and accesories may have been designed to help Aglaia make studio properties. One of the sheets is inscribed with Mrs Coronio's name; another bears the letterhead of '1 Holland Park', the home of her brother, Alexander Ionides; Aglaia lived next door at no. 1A. This recently discovered and hitherto unpublished album appears to have been put together by someone in Burne-Jones's circle. The caricatures are typical of those he made for intimate friends, and most of the other drawings consist of rough working sketches or random doodles which would only have been available to a close associate. The most likely answer is that the compiler was Aglaia Coronio or one of her relations, possibly her daughter Calliope. A member of the large Anglo-Greek family of Ionides which figures so prominently in the annals of Victorian art (see lot 572), Aglaia was a close friend of William Morris and might well have owned caricatures of him. It is interesting that some show him doing cartwheels and handstands (figs.3 & 4) while one shows him in his bath, since Luke Ionides, one of Aglaia's brothers, recalls in his privately printed Memories (1925) that he 'had a set of [Burne-Jones] caricatures of [Morris] doing catherine wheels in Cavendish Square, and another at the Turkish bath, where we had gone together'. These drawings may be the ones in question. Aglaia was also close to Burne-Jones. Her 'perfect taste', Lady Burne-Jones recalled, 'had helped him a hundred times by finding fabrics and arranging dresses for models' (Memorials of Edward Burne-Jones, 1904, II, p.196). The album contains a letter which bears this out. 'Dear Aglaia', he writes, 'I have measured Giacinto - here are such measurements as an unskilled tailor can make - I have measured round him - and down him - is it enough? also how kind & helpful you are - & I am ashamed to give you such trouble'. Giacinto must have been one of the Italian models who were so much employed by Victorian artists, and there follows a diagram of his body with measurements for a 'leather coat', apparently in the Greek style. The many other sketches of dresses and accessories which the album contains may also have been made to help Aglaia make studio properties. One sketch is on a piece of paper inscribed 'wait for answer/Mrs Coronio', another is on writing paper headed 'I Holland Park, W'. This was the house of her brother Alexander, who created there one of the great 'aesthetic' interiors of the day, Burne-Jones being among the contributors. Aglaia herself lived next door at 1A.