The head of Cassandra
Drawing
ca. 1866-1870 (made)
ca. 1866-1870 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The inscription on this drawing identifies the figure as Cassandra. In Greek mythology Cassandra's beauty caused Apollo to fall in love with her and grant her the gift of prophecy. However, because she did not return his love, Apollo took away Cassandra's powers of persuasion, so that no-one would believe her predictions of catastrophe. Edward Burne-Jones's model here is Maria Zambaco (born Cassavetti), a first cousin of Constantine Ionides. Zambaco was a sculptor, but remains better known as a model for other artists. Her features appear repeatedly in the paintings of Burne-Jones, whose affair with the tempestuous Zambaco in the late 1860s came close to wrecking his domestic and artistic existence.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The head of Cassandra |
| Materials and techniques | Red chalk |
| Brief description | Red chalk drawing by Burne-Jones, 'Cassandra', about 1866-70 |
| Physical description | Red chalk drawing of a woman's head; her face wears a tragic expression and her mouth is open. The drawing is inscribed 'CASSANDRA'. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | CASSANDRA (inscription on right of sheet) |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by Constantine Alexander Ionides |
| Object history | Bequeathed by C.A. Ionides, 1900 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The inscription on this drawing identifies the figure as Cassandra. In Greek mythology Cassandra's beauty caused Apollo to fall in love with her and grant her the gift of prophecy. However, because she did not return his love, Apollo took away Cassandra's powers of persuasion, so that no-one would believe her predictions of catastrophe. Edward Burne-Jones's model here is Maria Zambaco (born Cassavetti), a first cousin of Constantine Ionides. Zambaco was a sculptor, but remains better known as a model for other artists. Her features appear repeatedly in the paintings of Burne-Jones, whose affair with the tempestuous Zambaco in the late 1860s came close to wrecking his domestic and artistic existence. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CAI.12 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | April 1, 2008 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
