In 1869 Philippe Burty, in an article in the Gazette de beaux-Arts, mentioned a visit to Burne-Jones's studio in which he saw various works, including Autumn, Spring and St George and he asked the artist for permission to reproduce a preparatory drawing for Pan and Psyche upon which he was currently working. This drawing was engraved by Swain and was intermediate between the woodcut illustration for William Morris's The Earthly Paradise and the present painting. Swains engraving appeared in the Gazette de Beaux Arts and shows significant differences from the final painting, notably Psyche is clothed, Pan's pipes are hanging from a tree behind him and the irises are more prominent. When translated a footnote explains the presence of the engraving " The wood drawn expressly for us by Mr Burne Jones and engraved by Mr Swain, is after a composition which we saw sketched in the artist's studio.It is Pan and Psyche."
Thursday, May 30, 1895 You speak of E.B.J's "Pan & Psyche" 9195) in one of your letters, at 1800 Guineas. I wonder if this is the one I saw at Agnew;s the day I first met you there, and that Lockett offered me for £1200. I was a large picture, and more subdued in colour than almost any other of E.B.J's i ever saw, except the "Melin & Vivian." (196) 1 Grays and greens. 1. The Beguiling of Merlin.
16 June 1895 The E.B.J "Pan and Psyche" (195) is quite a different picture to the "Garden of Pan" which you saw at Agnews' which was sold for £3000. The "Pan and Psyche" (195) was mezzotinted by Campbell and there is a good photo by Hollyer.2 These are two pictures but both are equally good, I prefer the landscape in this one which I believe to be the first, as it is slightly smaller.3 E.B.J's pictures are apt to grow! The "Briar Rose" (188) is one of the many instances. That series began designs for tiles some 34 years back, I have the first sketches for them. The "Pan and Psyche" is a much smaller picture than "Garden of Pan," I consider 1800 guineas quite reasonable, 2. cf. note 5 to letter 50 (The version of the engraved mezzotint by C.W. Campbell in 1886 is now in the Fogg Museum but the version belonging to Ionides and exhibited at the Goupil Gallery was apparently not engraved.) 3. Murray must be referring to the two versions of Pan and Psyche here. Ionides version was slightly smaller than the Fogg version and its background was a rolling landscape whereas the Fogg version has a rocky landscape in its background. De Lisle dates them both 1867-1874. The Garden of Pan is much larger than either and over 10 years later in date.