The Three Graces

Edward Burne-Jones

Date: c. 1890 - 96

Materials: Charcoal and pastel

The Three Graces is a motif with which Burne-Jones would have been familiar from its regular appearance in Antique, Renaissance and Neo-classical art. It was a natural choice for an artist who drew routinely from the live model, and the group appears in his paintings in several variations.

Within the colossal polyptych of 'The Story of Troy', conceived in 1870, are designs for two complementary subjects, 'Venus Concordia' and 'Venus Discordia', emblematic of peaceful love and disruptive jealousy. Burne-Jones was working on large oils of each in the 1890s, 'The Three Graces' featuring on the left of'Venus Concordia'.