The Sleep of King Arthur in Avalon
Artist
Edward Coley Burne-Jones
(British, 1833 - 1898)
Date1881-1898
Object number63.0369
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions110 × 256 in. (279.4 × 650.2 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineMuseo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc.
Collections
On View
Not on viewDescriptionAccording to Thomas Malory's "Le Morte d'Arthur" (1470), King Arthur suffered a fatal wound in a battle against Mordred. He was later taken to the magical island of Avalon, where he fell into a deep slumber meant to last until summoned to return to earth once more. Burne-Jones was commissioned this work in 1881 by George Howard, who wished to decorate his personal library with an Arthurian subject. However, seeing that Burn-Jones became so involved with the work, he withdrew the commission and the artist continued working on it for over twenty years, succumbing to illness before finishing the monumental painting.
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Frederick Hollyer
ca. 1890
