Pygmalion1.0135_Burne-Jones

Edward Burne-Jones, 1833-1898, painting cycle based upon drawings for Morris' poem "Pygmalion and the Image": "The Heart Desires," "The Hand Refrains," "The Godhead Fires," "The Soul Attains." 1868-1870. Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, accession no. 1903P23-26

L. Lambourne (1999), Victorian Painting (London:Phaidon), p. 284-5 (w/ plate 343) recalls Swinburne's observation that the quartet of Edward Burne-Jones "epitomizes the conflict between the real and the ideal, between the classical tradition and Pre-Raphaelite sensuality."

The images at right are copied from Wikipedia Commons, where they are identified as public-domain images, i.e. copyright free. The originals of the four paintings are curated by the Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery. They represent Burne-Jones' second series of this Pygmalion quartet.

The first series of this same subject is held in a private collection. Images are included at the Wikipedia Commons page.