The Beguiling of Merlin

Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, Bt ARA (1833-1898)

1874

Oil on canvas

73 x 43 3/4 inches

Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight

Christopher Wood points out that "This was one of the pictures exhibited by Burne-Jones at the historic opening of the Grosvenor Gallery in 1877, which established his reputation overnight. The picture was commissioned by F. R. Leyland for his famous interior at 49 Prince's Gate, where Whistler painted the Peacock room" (p. 117).

[Compare Beardsley's 1894 version.]