Pomona, 1884 - Sir Edward Burne-Jones - Framed art Print

Born in Birmingham in 1833, Edward Coley Burne-Jones was the child of a financially strained picture-framer and a mother who tragically passed during childbirth. Shunning a potential career in the clergy post his Oxford University studies, he found himself fascinated by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and instead ventured to London. There, he apprenticed under Dante Gabriel Rossetti, a founding member, ultimately becoming part of the brotherhood's 'second wave'.

Despite being acknowledged as an outstanding Victorian narrative artist, Burne-Jones' fame dwindled during the 20th century. Only in 1998 did his work experience a revival, leading to a travelling retrospective exhibition. Burne-Jones asserted that art should provide an escape from the world, not simply reflect it.

Starting with unique pen-and-ink drawings and watercolours, Burne-Jones later moved to easel paintings, gaining him recognition. His repertoire included tapestry, jewellery, ceramics, and stained glass design, often collaborating with William Morris, thereby blurring the boundaries between fine and decorative arts.

He was dmitted to the Royal Academy in 1885 and knighted in 1894, Burne-Jones continued to create until his death in 1898. His work is said to have influenced The Surrealists, The Symbolists, and even Picasso.