Oil paint on canvas
Tate Britain
Tate Collection
Works with images
Works on display
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>
Golden Stairs
Bequeathed by Lord Battersea 1924
actions: postures and motions
adults
architecture
Burne-Jones, Margaret
courtyard
crowd
descending
emotions, concepts and ideas
features
fine arts and music
formal qualities
Gellibrand, Edith
groups
instrument, pipe
instrument, trumpet
instrument, violin
Keene
leisure and pastimes
lifestyle and culture
music
music and entertainment
musical analogy
named individuals
objects
people
rhythm
society
stair / step
townscapes / man-made features
walking
woman
<p>This painting is an example of Burne-Jones’s interest in investigating a mood rather than telling a story. He deliberately made his pictures mysterious and the meaning of this work has been debated by critics. One suggestion is that the staircase, without visible beginning or end, represents continuous movement. Models for the painting include Frances Graham, daughter of Burne-Jones’s patron William Graham and Mary Gladstone, daughter of British Prime Minister WE Gladstone. Burne-Jones’s daughter, Margaret, is pictured at the top of the stairs.</p><p><em>Gallery label, August 2019</em></p>
painting oil paint canvas
29 August 2001 – 25 July 2005
2005-07-25
29 August 2001
2001-08-29
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2001-08-29
Art and Victorian Society
Collection based display
8 August 2005 – 4 October 2010
2010-10-04
8 August 2005 – 4 October 2010
2010-10-04
2005-08-08
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2005-08-08
Victorian Spectacle
Collection based display
2 April 2011 – 17 June 2012
2012-06-17
2 April 2011 – 17 July 2011
2011-07-17
2011-04-02
Victoria and Albert Museum (London, UK)
http://www.vam.ac.uk
2011-04-02
The Cult of Beauty: The Aesthetic Movement 1860-1900
Loan-out
12 September 2012 – 31 January 2014
2014-01-31
12 September 2012 – 13 January 2013
2013-01-13
2012-09-12
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2012-09-12
Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Avant-Garde
Exhibition
5 November 2012 – 20 July 2014
2014-07-20
5 November 2012 – 20 July 2014
2014-07-20
2012-11-05
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2012-11-05
Gallery 9
Collection based display
7 August 2014 – 24 July 2022
2022-07-24
7 August 2014
2014-08-07
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2014-08-07
Gallery 9
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
The Golden Stairs
support: 2692 × 1168 mm
frame: 3162 × 1637 × 122 mm
Bequeathed by Lord Battersea 1924
<div><p><span>This is an example of Edward Burne-Jones’s interest in investigating a mood rather than telling a story. He deliberately made his pictures mysterious, and the meaning of this work is debated. One suggestion is that the staircase, without visible beginning or end, represents continuous movement. Models for the painting include Frances Graham, daughter of Burne-Jones’s patron William Graham, and Mary Gladstone, daughter of British Prime Minister Wlliam Gladstone. Burne-Jones’s daughter, Margaret, is pictured at the top of the stairs.</span></p></div>
Online caption
2024-04-22T00:00:00
online-caption
ONLINE_CAPTION
actions: postures and motions adults architecture Burne-Jones, Margaret courtyard crowd descending emotions, concepts and ideas features fine arts and music formal qualities Gellibrand, Edith groups instrument, pipe instrument, trumpet instrument, violin Keene leisure and pastimes lifestyle and culture music musical analogy music and entertainment named individuals objects people rhythm society stair / step townscapes / man-made features walking woman