EDWARD BURNE-JONES AND PRE-RAPHAELITE MELANCHOLY

Edward Burne-Jones's Portrait of Caroline Fitzgerald (1884) captures the enigmatic gaze of the young model. The key to understanding her expression lies in the book she holds, which remains undisclosed. Caroline, a scholar and member of the American Oriental Society, may have been reading a wor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Journal of pre-Raphaelite studies (1992) Vol. 32; p. 80
Main Author Shaw, W David
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Toronto Journal of Pre-Raphaelite Studies 01.04.2023
Subjects
19th century
Aesthetics
Burne-Jones, Edward Coley (1833-1898)
FitzGerald, Caroline
Mental depression
Poets
Portraits
Pre-Raphaelitism
Scholars
Trauma
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Summary:Edward Burne-Jones's Portrait of Caroline Fitzgerald (1884) captures the enigmatic gaze of the young model. The key to understanding her expression lies in the book she holds, which remains undisclosed. Caroline, a scholar and member of the American Oriental Society, may have been reading a work of linguistics or literature. The book's title could reveal the secret behind her abstracted gaze. Caroline's melancholy countenance is both masked and unmasked, much like the content of her book and her tear-filled thoughts. Tragically, Caroline's life mirrors the themes of Browning's poems, as she becomes the victim of a domestic tragedy. Despite her accomplishments as a scholar and poet, including an impressive library, Caroline never fully recovers from her trauma. The Burne-Jones portrait defies categorization as a genre painting, instead inviting viewers to appreciate its beautiful aesthetic surface.
ISSN:1060-149X