Through the middle of the nineteenth century, Edward Burne-Jones was closely associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, particularly Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who oversaw much of his artistic training. The subject matter of this picture—which Burne-Jones addressed at least five separate times—encapsulates their shared preoccupation with the legendary English past, especially as it was recorded in poetry. According to popular legend, King Henry II kept his mistress Rosamund Clifford in a secret “bower” at Woodstock Manor, protected by a surrounding maze.
Henry’s jealous queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, discovered his secret, and Burne-Jones here imagines the fatal confrontation between the Queen and royal mistress. After her death at Eleanor’s hand, Rosamund was purportedly buried in the ruined nunnery at Godstowe, a site first visited by Burne-Jones in 1854. Algernon Charles Swinburne accompanied him on a subsequent visit in 1859 and published the verse drama Rosamund the following year, likely providing further inspiration to the painter.
Text: Yale Center for British Art.
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