The Sleep of King Arthur in Avalon

1881 · Museo de Arte de Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico

historical

Burne-Jones's late work shows him retreating into himself, evolving a mannered and highly personal style and returning to his early interest in Malory. The chief expression of this private world is The Sleep of King Arthur in Avalon (begun 1881), the colossal unfinished canvas on which he was working at his death. According to Thomas Malory's "Le Morte d'Arthur" (1470), King Arthur suffered a fatal wound in a battle against Mordred.

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About the Artist

Edward Burne-jones

1833 – 1898

Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones was an English painter and decorative artist. He was the leading figure in the second phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, and he was influenced by the art of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. His paintings of subjects from medieval legend and Classical mythology and his designs for stained glass, tapestry and many other media played an important part in the Aesthetic Movement and the history of international Symbolism. Although his works lacked the social ideals of the Pre-Raphaelites, his mystic, romantic images often represent a world free of industrialism. His paintings are characterized by the influence of Mantegna and Botticelli, but done in a subdued tonal palette.

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