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The Famous Artist behind the Beguiling of Merlin is Edward Burne-Jones, born to parents Elizabeth Coley and Edward Jones on August 28, 1833 in Birmingham, England. However, Burne-Jones grew up with only his father due to his mother sadly passing away days later after he was born. As an adult, Burne-Jones attended King Edward IV School, then left to go study at Exeter College in Oxford. Once Burne-Jones' first paintings were released to the public, his name gained lots of popularity and many were interested to see more. Moreover, Burne-Jones selected to draw the Beguiling of Merlin because he used to believe that women at this time were deceptive and only wanted the worse for a man due to them wanting an edge over males.

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The Circumstances under which this Piece was Created 

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The Circumstances under which this Piece was Created 

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Around 1873, Burne-Jones first started working the Beguiling of Merlin, where he used gouache art to bring the individuals and setting to life. Additionally, the model used for this piece is Maria Zambaco, a model who supposedly had an affair with Burne-Jones and has been seen in previous works of his, but Zambaco is supposed to be Nimue, a famous Arthurian Legend in this piece. Burne-Jones first showcased The Beguiling of Merlin painting at the Grosvenor Gallery in 1877, four years after starting it, where he also sent eight different works to be displayed, which led to him gaining massive popularity from the world.

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The Beguiling of Merlin, by Edward Burne-Jones 

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The Beguiling of Merlin, by Edward Burne-Jones 

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The Beguiling of Merlin was influenced by Arthurian Legend Nimue who is the lady placed directly in the middle of the painting, basically the center of attention. In addition, The Beguiling of Merlin took inspiration from Tennyson's Idyll "Merlin and Vivien" and Medieval Romance of Merlin from the Vulgate Cycle, which is shown in the background of the painting where the Hawthorn Tree is used as the site of the demise. Also, the lady who is the center of attention in the painting has snakes placed in her hair which could bring a connection to Medusa, who is seen in Greek Mythology with living snakes as hair due to a curse played upon her.

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When Burne-Jones was creating the Beguiling of Merlin painting, he believed that women were deceiving and only wanted to get an upper hand on Men, so it can be seen in the painting that the Man is falling for the Lady because she's using her attractiveness against him. This piece is portraying the social issue that women are deceptive and tricky to read, which can be seen through the man in this piece who is in awe of the Lady's beauty and she even knows he's attracted to her so she is using it to her advantage.

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Bade, Patrick. Edward Burne-Jones. Parkstone International, 2007. INSERT-MISSING-DATABASE-NAME, INSERT-MISSING-URL. Accessed 7 Oct. 2021.

Kestner, Joseph. “Edward Burne-Jones and Nineteenth-Century Fear of Women.” Biography, vol. 7, no. 2, University of Hawai’i Press, 1984, pp. 95–122, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23539153.

Lago, Mary, et al. Biographical Passages : Essays in Victorian and Modernist Biography : Honoring Mary M. Lago. University of Missouri Press, 2000. INSERT-MISSING-DATABASE-NAME, INSERT-MISSING-URL. Accessed 7 Oct. 2021.

Mancoff, Debra N. “Unpainted Masterpieces: The Drawings of Edward Burne-Jones.” Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies, vol. 31, no. 1, The Art Institute of Chicago, 2005, pp. 45–93, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4104473.

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After Burne-Jones submitted The Beguiling of Merlin along with seven other different artworks he'd made to the Grosvenor Gallery, his name had gained popularity and his likeness rose. According to his wife, his existence on this world became known to the public and his name alone became famous just based on the paintings people saw at the Grosvenor Gallery in 1877. This was the first time any of Burne-Jones' paintings were appreciated by the outside world, so he had gained the respect of many by showing the eight painting at that Gallery.