Portrait of a young girl

1866–80

Not on view

The subject of this ethereal portrait drawing has not been definitively identified, but her soulful eyes and sensual mouth resemble those of Maria Cassavaetti Zambaco, a British artist of Greek descent with whom Burne-Jones had a passionate, then tortured, affair between 1866 and 1869. After their association ended, the artist used her features to represent temptresses such as Nimue and Phyllis in thematic paintings.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Portrait of a young girl
Artist: Sir Edward Burne-Jones (British, Birmingham 1833–1898 Fulham)
Date: 1866–80
Medium: Graphite
Dimensions: sheet: 10 x 7 in. (25.4 x 17.8 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Bequest of William S. Lieberman, 2005
Object Number: 2007.49.650
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Sir Edward Burne-Jones

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Armed Men, Sir Edward Burne-Jones British, Graphite, heightened with white chalk, on brown paper — Armed Men
Sir Edward Burne-Jones
1855–98

Study of a Female Head, Sir Edward Burne-Jones British, Yellow, red, and green pastel with fabricated black crayon on red paper — Study of a Female Head
Sir Edward Burne-Jones
1890

Summer Snow (in "Good Words for 1863," opp. p. 380)

Sir Edward Burne-Jones

Dalziel Brothers

1863

The Deliverer (in "Parables from Nature", opp. p. 205)

Sir Edward Burne-Jones

Horace Harral

1865

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.