Graphite on paper
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/sir-edward-coley-burne-jones-bt-68" aria-label="More by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, Bt" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, Bt</a>
Desiderium
Presented by Sir Philip Burne-Jones Bt 1910
adults
body
head / face
people
woman
<p>In 1872 Burne-Jones embarked on a group of drawings illustrating 'The Masque of Cupid', a subject taken from Edmund Spenser's great allegory, 'The Faerie Queene'. The head in this drawing is that of Amorous Desire, who is depicted, as in Spenser's description, blowing gently to awaken the sparks of passion. Over twenty years later, in 1897, Burne-Jones returned to his Spenserian drawings. However, far from stimulating new work on this theme, he then found Spenser's poetry repellent. His wife recalled him saying, 'How good it is when quoted and how weary to plod through'. The drawing was one of the first works by Burne-Jones to enter the Tate Gallery collection, and was given by his son.</p><p><em>Gallery label, September 2004</em></p>
paper unique graphite
12 July 2003 – 15 August 2004
2004-08-15
12 July 2003 – 28 September 2003
2003-09-28
2003-07-12
Art Gallery of Western Australia (Perth, Australia)
25 October 2003 – 15 February 2004
2004-02-15
2003-10-25
Dunedin Public Art Gallery (Dunedin, New Zealand)
http://www.dunedin.art.museum
14 May 2004 – 15 August 2004
2004-08-15
2004-05-14
Frist Center for the Visual Arts (Nashville, USA)
2003-07-12
The Pre-Raphaelite Dream: Paintings and Drawings from the Tate Collection
Tate partnerships & programmes
1 July 2012 – 30 October 2012
2012-10-30
1 July 2012 – 30 October 2012
2012-10-30
2012-07-01
Society of Antiquaries -Kelmscott Manor (Kelmscott, UK)
2012-07-01
Reciprocal loan for Pre-Raphaelite Avant-Garde
Loan-out
20 April 2015 – 7 May 2017
2017-05-07
1 March 2015 – 7 May 2017
2017-05-07
2015-03-01
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2015-04-20
Pre Raphaelite Works on Paper
Collection based display
24 October 2018 – 24 February 2019
2019-02-24
24 October 2018 – 24 February 2019
2019-02-24
2018-10-24
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2018-10-24
Edward Burne-Jones
Exhibition
14 September 2019 – 31 May 2020
2020-05-31
14 September 2019 – 26 January 2020
2020-01-26
2019-09-14
Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde (Stockholm, Sweden)
http://www.waldermarsudde.com
21 February 2020 – 31 May 2020
2020-05-31
2020-02-21
KODE Art Museums and Composer Homes (Bergen, Norway)
2019-09-14
Edward Burne-Jones: The Pre-Raphaelites and the North
Loan-out
Desiderium
support: 210 × 133 mm
Presented by Sir Philip Burne-Jones Bt 1910
<p>In 1872 Burne-Jones embarked on a group of <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/d/drawing" title="Glossary definition for 'Drawing'"><span>drawings</span></a> illustrating 'The Masque of Cupid', a subject taken from Edmund Spenser's great <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/a/allegory" title="Glossary definition for 'Allegory'"><span>allegory</span></a>, 'The Faerie Queene'. The head in this drawing is that of Amorous Desire, who is depicted, as in Spenser's description, blowing gently to awaken the sparks of passion. Over twenty years later, in 1897, Burne-Jones returned to his Spenserian drawings. However, far from stimulating new work on this theme, he then found Spenser's poetry repellent. His wife recalled him saying, 'How good it is when quoted and how weary to plod through'. The drawing was one of the first works by Burne-Jones to enter the Tate Gallery collection, and was given by his son.</p>
Display caption
2004-09-02T00:00:00
display-caption
DISPLAY_CAPTION
adults body head / face people woman