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St. Simeon Stylites

Drawing
1861 (made)
Artist/Maker
Burges, William (A.R.A.) (artist)
Place of origin
England (made)

William Burges was an architect and a leading figure in the Gothic Revival movement. His interest in medieval art led him to collect prints by Albrecht Dürer, and in this drawing he has closely emulated this master’s powerful, wiry line. The work illustrates a poem by Tennyson about a 5th-century Syrian saint who lived on a small platform on top of a pillar for 37 years.

Object details

Categories
Drawings
Designs
Object type
Drawing
TitleSt. Simeon Stylites (popular title)
Materials and techniques
pen and ink
Pen and Ink
Paper
Drawing
Brief description
William Burges, 'St. Simeon Stylites', a drawing illustrating Tennyson's poem. 1861. Signed with monogram WB. Pen and Ink.
Physical description
Drawing
Dimensions
  • From catalogue height: 38.5cm
  • From catalogue width: 27.7cm
Marks and inscriptions
WB (Signed with monogram)
Credit line
Given by Miss Eleanor M. Hollyer, in memory of her father.
Object history
An entry in the artist's diary for the year 1861 reads: 'Finished S. Simeon Sylites'.

A sketch of the same subject exists in one of the artist's notebooks in the Drawings Library of the Royal Institute of the British Architects.
Literary reference'St Simeon Stylites'. A poem by Tennyson.
Summary
William Burges was an architect and a leading figure in the Gothic Revival movement. His interest in medieval art led him to collect prints by Albrecht Dürer, and in this drawing he has closely emulated this master’s powerful, wiry line. The work illustrates a poem by Tennyson about a 5th-century Syrian saint who lived on a small platform on top of a pillar for 37 years.
Bibliographic references
  • Owens, Susan, The Art of Drawing British Masters And Methods Since 1600, V&A Publishing, London, 2013, p. 133, fig. 107
  • 213 Colin Cruise Pre-Raphaelite Drawing London: Thames & Hudson, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-7093-0264-3
  • Pl.23 in The Designs of William Burges, A.R.A., edited by R P Pullan, London, 1883.
  • The drawing was reproduced on p.419, vol 26 of The Building News, 17 April 1874
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.445-1965

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Record createdJune 8, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O239269/st-simeon-stylites-drawing-burges-william-ara/
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