Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, Bt

The Call of Perseus; Perseus and the Graiae; Perseus and the Nereids

1875–6

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On loan

Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde (Stockholm, Sweden): Edward Burne-Jones: The Pre-Raphaelites and the North

Artist: Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, Bt 1833–1898
Part of: Designs for ‘The Story of Perseus’
Medium: Gouache, gold paint and ink on paper
Dimensions: Support: 367 x 1027 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Presented by the Trustees of the Chantrey Bequest 1919
Reference: N03456

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At the beginning of his quest for the head of Medusa, Perseus receives help from the goddess Athena, although at first he spurns her words of advice. She gives him a sword and a mirror to protect him from the Gorgon, whose glance turns men to stone. He next proceeds to the three Graiae, who collectively share a single tooth and a single eye, which Perseus snatches from them in order to gain information about where he can find the sea nymphs. After he discovers the cave of the nymphs, they bestow on him the winged sandals of Hermes, the helmet of invisibility and a bag in which to carry Medusa's head.

Gallery label, July 1993

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