| 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 323 x 407 mm, Plate 393 x 452 mm, Sheet 507 x 667 mm |
| Notes |
Printed on India laid paper. Plate 88, taken from Burne-Jones' 1896 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. Typical of the work of Burne-Jones, and more broadly speaking, that of the Pre-Raphaelite artists, 'The Dream of Launcelot' is Medievally inspired, with its source being found in the Arthurian legend. Sir Lancelot, one of the Knights of the Round Table, is depicted asleep against the head of a well. His helmet sits by his side, whilst his sword rests in his hand, and his shield hangs from a withered tree. To the right of the composition is the Chapel of San Grael, with an angel emerging from the doorway. The painting from which this photogravure was taken in now in the collection of the Southampton City Art Gallery. Burne-Jones revisited the subject in pastels, which was left unfinished at his death. 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 margins, water stain to left edge of sheet, not affecting image. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £375.00 |
| Stock ID | 41650 |