This is for a figure of one of the watchers in Burne-Jones’s great masterpiece Arthur in Avalon. The figure is standing as one of a group of three in the middle of the right hand side holding a shield. These ”˜watchers’ are overseeing the sleeping Arthur. At this quite late stage in the development of the painting, Burne-Jones is still experimenting with the type of clothing for the attendant figures. In the final version Burne-Jones settled on distinguishing the attendants various roles indicated by their attire. There exists another half length study for this figure with variant robes. Burne-Jones worked on the subject from 1881 to 1898 and virtually completed it at the time of his death. The accompanying photograph shows the painting hanging, draped in black, at the Burne-Jones Memorial Exhibition at the New Gallery 1888 to 1889. The great masterpiece is hung, as the greatest tribute to the artist, with portraits of Burne-Jones himself on either side. In painting King Arthur sleeping, Burne-Jones, in the last years of his life returns to the great dream of medieval craftsmanship that he and William Morris had held as young men at Oxford. In depicting the sleep of Arthur awaiting the return of the non-industrial age, Burne-Jones is depicting himself at the end of his life for eternity.