Perseus and the Graiae

Sir Edward Burne-Jones (1833 - 1898)

National Museum Cardiff

1877-1888

Burne-Jones's retelling of the Perseus legend concentrated on its most familiar episodes. Perseus is visiting the Graiae, three sisters of the gorgon, to force them to help him find and kill Medusa. This relief is a key element in the artist's uncompleted 'Perseus' cycle. The other oils, unfinished canvases and cartoons from the series are in the Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart.

• Medium: oil, bronze & silver leaf on carved gesso on an oak panel overpainted in gold
• Dimensions: 152.4 x 168.7cm
• Art Fund Grant: £25000 ( Total: £60,000; Tax Remission)
• ArtFunded in: 2008
• Vendor: Trustees of the 1st Earl of Balfour's Trust (through Christie's)

Provenance

Arthur Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour (1848-1930); by descent to the Trustees of the 1st Earl of Balfour's Trust.

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