Hymen, the goddess of marriage holding a harp

Date1876

Artist Edward Burne-Jones (British painter, 1833–1898)

MediumGraphite on paper

Dimensionscomposition: 12 3/4 × 6 1/4 in. (32.4 × 15.9 cm)
sheet: 13 3/4 × 8 1/8 in. (34.9 × 20.6 cm)

Credit LineF. V. du Pont Acquisition Fund, 2019

Object number2019-29.1

On View

Not on view

ClassificationsDRAWING

Label TextThese two drawings are preliminary sketches for the painting, entitled Hymenaeus, hanging nearby.
Hymen, the goddess of marriage, is blessing the young couple in the drawing on the right. All three figures appear together in the finished painting, the poses having been worked out separately in earlier sketches such as these. This purchase presents a
rare opportunity reunite the drawings with a work of art that has been in our collection for over 80 years.