The Bowes Museum Blog

Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones (1833-1898), The Garden Court; from The Briar Rose Series, 1894, Oil on canvas

The evident sincerity and intensity of Burne-Jones’ work means that even fairytale themes are persuasive to a modern audience. Here he depicts a scene from the legend of the Sleeping Beauty, who was cast by a spell with her attendants into a sleep lasting till she was awakened by a kiss from a Prince, leaving the rambling briar roses to grow through the figures and furnishings of the royal castle.

The Garden Court detail.

There are four scenes in the sequence: The Briar Wood, showing the prince entering the castle; the Council Chamber, showing her advisers asleep; this scene of the Garden Court, with her handmaids asleep at the loom and finally the Rose Bower itself, showing the Princess asleep on a bed.

The Garden Court detail.

Burne-Jones executed three versions of the series, one of which survives complete in room panelling at Buscot Park, Oxfordshire.

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Gallery detail.

Painting courtesy of Bristol Culture: Bristol Museum and Art Gallery