Flodden Field by
Sir Edward Burne-Jones. 1875-1883 [Painted in 1882]. Gouache and gold
paint on paper in the original frame Signed EBJ lower left; inscribed on
the back panel in pencil "Design for bas relief Battling Flodden" and
"No 158." 20 1/2 x 39 1/2 inches; 52 x 100.5 centimetres. Provenance:
The executors of the artist, 1904; David Greig, by descent in the
family.
Still from the sire the son shall hear
Of stern strife, and carnage drear;
Of Flodden's fatal field
Where shivered was fair Scotland's spear
And broken was her shield. — Walter Scott, Marmion
Of stern strife, and carnage drear;
Of Flodden's fatal field
Where shivered was fair Scotland's spear
And broken was her shield. — Walter Scott, Marmion
Flodden Field was
commissioned by George Howard, the ninth Earl of Carlisle, to decorate
the library at Naworth Castle. The design was for a bas-relief to be
modelled by Sir J E Boehm in
1882. The Earl had chosen the subject because his ancestors had been
present at the Battle of Flodden Field in 1513. George Howard had
originally commissioned Burne-Jones to paint a triptych for the room.
The artist had become so obsessed with his masterpiece,Arthur in Avalon, that it became apparent that lie would never rinish it and so Howard relinquished his claim and acceptedFlodden Field to go in its place.
Burne-Jones would have had a variety of sources to work for the subject
of the battle of Flodden Field. It is said that "more poetry has been
written about Fladden Field than any other battle since the days of
Homer." The Battle was fought in an attempt by King James IV of Scotland
to weaken the English forces in the approaching war between England and
France. Thousands of human lives were sacrificed and King Jamcs himself
was killed, "every man fought with a resolution and stubbornness beyond
what the single army could ordinarily accomplish... hour after hour
every inch of ground was doggedly contested." [James Robson]
Burne-Jones and Morris were frequenters of George Howard's circle of
friends and fellow painters, who included Alphonse Legros, Giovanni
Costa and Guiseppe Mazzini. All of them stayed at Naworth Castle in
Cumberland. As a wealthy man, Howard was able to commission many
paintings and Burne-Jones, and Morris undertook
a number of other commissions for him including the decoration of his
dining room at 1 Palace Green, Kensington, with the story of Cupid and Psyche (Waters, 54-55)
References
Bell, Malcolm. Sir Fdward Burne-Jones, A Record and Review London: George Bell and Sons, 1893.
Harrison, Martin. and Bill Waters. Burne-Jones. London: Barrie and Jenkins, 1973.
Robson, James. Border Battles and Battlefields. Kelso, 1897.
Waters, Bill. Burne-Jones -- A Quest for Love: Works by Sir Edward Burne-Jones Bt and Related Works by Contemporary Artists. London: Peter Nahum, 1993. Catalogue number 22.
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