Perseus and the Graiae by Sir Edward Burne-Jones

Perseus and the Graiae by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, 1877–1888

© National Museum Cardiff

Details

Medium:

Oil, bronze & silver leaf on carved gesso on an oak panel overpainted in gold

Dimensions:

152.4 x 168.7 cm

Art Fund grant:

£25,000 ( Total: £60,000; Tax remission)

Acquired in:

2008

Vendor:

Trustees of the 1st Earl of Balfour's Trust (through Christie's)

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.

Provenance

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