Information
Burne-Jones's accounts for early 1862 list two designs for 'Theseus' tiles, of which this is the only one known, but may have been executed as early as 1861. It shows a four five-inch tile format for the narrative scene and a medievel-style interpretation of the subject matter, with Theseus dressed in a tunic of Late Gothic damask or brocade and the Minotaur peering, gargoyle-like, round the labyrinth wall. It derives not from ancient mythology, but from Chaucer's retelling of the Greek story in his 'Legend of Good Women', which explains its medieval character.
- Bequeathed by James Richardson Holliday, 1927.
- © Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery
Makers
Association |
Artist |
Organisation |
Artist |
Sir Edward Burne-Jones |
- |
Inscriptions
Type |
Position(s) |
Method |
Date(s) |
Notes |
THESEUS/ LABYRINTHUS/ MINOTAURUS |
Label |
- |
Handwritten |
1861 |
labels. written in the artist's hand |
|
Exhibitions
Catalogue No. |
Venue |
Date(s) |
Burne Jones: The Paintings, Graphic & Decorative Work |
69 |
Hayward Gallery, London |
1975-11-05 - 1976-01-04 |
69 |
Southampton City Art Gallery |
1976-01-24 - 1976-02-22 |
69 |
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery |
1976-03-10 - 1976-04-11 |
|
Pre-Raphaelite Art from Birmingham |
10 |
Hong Kong Museum of Art |
1984-10-19 - 1984-12-02 |
|
Pre-Raphaelite Drawings |
- |
BMAG G19 |
1989-01 - - |
|
Morris & Co Tiles |
18 |
William Morris Gallery, Walthamstow |
1996-09-14 - 1997-01-05 |
|
Literature
Author(s) |
Date(s) |
Publisher |
Pages |
City of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery: Catalogue of the Permanent Collection of Drawings |
A E Whitley |
1939 |
Bemrose & Sons Ltd, Derby |
p. 149 |
|
Burne-Jones |
Bill Waters, Martin Harrison |
1973 |
Barrie & Jenkins, London |
fig. 86 |
|
'Theseus & Ariadne: A Newly Discovered Burne-Jones' |
John Christian, Richard Dorment |
1975 |
Burlington Magazine, CXVII, September 1975 |
p. 596; fig. 32 |
|
William Morris Tiles |
Hilary Myers, Richard Myers |
1996 |
Richard Dennis, Somerset |
p. 20; fig. 34 |
|
Hidden Burne-Jones, Works on paper by Edward Burne-Jones from Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery |
|
2007 |
Dan Giles, Ltd., London |
p. 94 |
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