In the 1870s Burne-Jones and his friend the designer, poet, and socialist William Morris collaborated on illustrations for Morris’s The Earthly Paradise (1868–70). The epic poem, composed of mythological tales from ancient and Nordic sources, served as an inspiration for Burne-Jones throughout his life. The story of Danaë is taken from the chapter “The Doom of King Acrisius.” Fearful of an oracle’s warning that he would die by the hand of his grandson, as yet unborn, the king built a tower “wrought of brass most cunningly” in which to imprison his daughter, Danaë. The god Zeus breached her “living tomb” and impregnated Danaë in a shower of gold; later her son, Perseus, unwittingly slew his grandfather. Here Danaë, already seemingly incarcerated in the narrow courtyard, watches the construction of her prison, her future foreshadowed by the rosebush whose blooms are confined in a cage. 2015
The painting closely follows the drawing for The Earthly Paradise (Bonhams Auctioneers UK 2011) and as such was easily copied as a basis for the painting by a studio assistant. Thereafter worked upon by Burne-Jones, simplifying in some cases and adding details in others. There is no disputing the dates given to the Fogg and the Ashmolean versions of "Danae" as these appear in the Fitzwilliam work list. However there are reasons to suggest that these may be incorrect as stylistically these works are far removed from that of the early 1870s, they most resemble the work of the late 1860s and for this reason appear anachronistic within Burne-Jones's artistic development. The original drawing for The Earthly Paradise was made in c. 1868 and the two versions held by the Fogg and Ashmolean, would appear to have been made a short time after with the aid of an assistant. By the early 1870s, Burne-Jones had become less generalized and more focused on clarity of line, concentrating on greater detail, strongly influenced by his recent study of the Italian Masters during his visit to Italy in 1871. The majority of the dates given in the work list are entirely correct, but there are some inaccuracies in Burne-Jones's work list as evidenced by Georgiana's corrections. It is impossible to ascertain the direct source for Burne--Jones's information about his earlier work, but this may have been his extensive collection of numbered sketchbooks. He was making the list in the 1890s with an imperfect memory prompted by his relative Malcom Bell, who was working on a life and work of the artist ( Sir Edward Burne-Jones A Record and Review, pub 1892) and thus the situation inevitably allowed the introduction of errors, this has to be borne in mind when considering the dating of works before 1870. It is therfore suggested here that the two works in the Ashmolean and the Fogg date from between 1867 and 1869.