| 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 234 x 517 mm, Plate 307 x 577 mm, Sheet 507 x 667 mm |
| Notes |
Printed on India laid paper. Plate 49, taken from Burne-Jones' 1870 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. Burne-Jones' Renaissance inspired 'The Mill' portrays three beautiful maidens dancing beside a stream, whilst a fourth androgynous figure, standing beneath a loggia, plays a lute. In the distance, nude figures can be seen bathing by the stream. Speaking of 'The Mill', Burne-Jones admitted that he made deliberate reference to Botticelli's 'Primavera' with his dancing figures, and Piero's 'Baptism of Christ' with the bathing figures. A townscape dominates the background, consisting of architecture that appears to combine features of the Renaissance and Middle Ages with those of a more contemporary nature. Housed within the buildings are three mills. It has been suggested that Burne-Jones had been inspired by the Oxford countryside, which he had become familiar with during his time as a student, in his depiction of the mills. Three mills are situated within a mile of each other just outside of Oxford, at Milton, Steventon, and Sutton Courtney. As with many works produced by Burne-Jones, and more broadly speaking, those produced by artists associated with the Aesthetic Movement, 'The Mill' lacks any distinct narrative. Instead, an overt emphasis is placed on beauty, and engaging with the senses. Burne-Jones modelled the three dancing figures on Maria Zambaco, his mistress, Marie Spartali Stillman, a prominent Pre-Raphaelite artist, and Aglaia Coronio. The three women were cousins, and were known among friends as the 'Three Graces'. The painting from which this photogravure was taken is now in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. 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 lower right corner and left edge of sheet, slightly encroaching into image at left. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £500.00 |
| Stock ID | 41571 |