The Sleeping Princess. 1874. Oil on canvas, 126 x 237 cm. Dublin City Gallery — The Hugh Lane Reg. 113. Provenance: Presumably sold Agnews, London, 1891; in possession of Hugh Lane by 1913; Lane Bequest, 1913 Click on image to enlarge it.
Commentary from the Hugh Lane Website
The Sleeping Princess is one of a number of paintings inspired by The Legend of the Briar Rose, which Burne-Jones painted between c. 1871 and 1894 and reveals his love of challenging compositional arrangements stemming from the use of horizontal or vertical canvases. This work differs from his other versions of The Sleeping Princess in its restrained, verdant colour tones and the inclusion of an hour-glass emphasising the passage of time and the legend's underlying theme of the transition from girlhood to womanhood. In 1890, paintings from The Briar Rose series were shown to critical acclaim at Agnew's, his art dealers in London, marking the apotheosis of his career. (JO'D)
Related Material
- The Briarose series — an Introduction
- The Garden Court
- The The Council Chambers
- Sketch of a sleeping girl for the Briar Rose series (1)
- Sketch of a sleeping girl for the Briar Rose series (2)
Last modified 2 June 20217