Method | Photogravure |
Artist | after Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones |
Published | Published by the Berlin Photographic Company Berlin. _ London W.133 New Bond Street. _ New York 14 East 23rd Street. [c.1900] |
Dimensions | Image 507 x 156 mm, Plate 578 x 211 mm, Sheet 667 x 507 mm |
Notes |
Printed on India laid paper. Plate 48, taken from Burne-Jones' 1892 oil painting of the same title, from 'The Work of Edward Burne-Jones, Ninety-One Photogravures Directly Reproduced from the Original Paintings'. Only two-hundred copies of the 'The Work of Edward Burne-Jones...' were produced, each of which was signed by Philip Burne-Jones, the eldest son of Edward. The medieval legend of Saint George and the Dragon proved to be extremely popular with the artists associated with Pre-Raphaelitism, with Burne-Jones revisiting the subject on numerous occasions. In his 'St. George', Burne-Jones presents the armoured Saint standing in full-length, facing towards the viewer, whilst holding a banner and shield. George's shield is adorned with an image of Princess Sabra in the coils of the dragon. On the ground behind the Saint lays the defeated beast. Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Bt (1833-1898) was a painter and designer closely associated with the later phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Burne-Jones met William Morris as an undergraduate of Exeter College, Oxford, whilst studying for a degree in theology. The pair went on to work very closely together on numerous decorative arts projects including stained glass windows, tapestries, and illustrations. Originally intending to become a church minister, Burne-Jones never finished his degree, choosing instead to pursue an artistic career under the influence of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Rossetti heavily inspired his early work, but by the 1860's his idiosyncratic style was beginning to develop. His mature work, however different in total effect, is rich in conscious echoes of Botticelli, Mantegna and other Italian masters of the Quattrocento. Thusly, Burne Jones' later paintings of classical and medieval subjects are some of the most iconic of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. He was at the height of his popularity during the 1880's, though his reputation began to decline with the onset of the Impressionists. He was created a baronet in 1894, when he formally hyphenated his name. The Berlin Photographic Company, (1880 - 1920; fl) or the Berlin Photographische Gesellschaft, was a German print publishers who specialised in photogravures after Old Masters and contemporary painters. High quality photographs were taken of the original works. The negatives were then exposed onto a gelatin covered copper plate, etched with acid, and printed in a similar fashion to an engraving. The main series of the Berlin Photographic Company's publications is kept together at Blythe House, West Kensington. Condition: Foxing and discolouration to edges of sheet, water stains to upper right corner and lower edge of sheet, slightly encroaching into image at bottom. |
Framing | unmounted |
Price | £400.00 |
Stock ID | 41570 |