An Eclectic Creation: Burne-Jones’ Wheel of Fortune

‘The Wheel of Fortune’ is one of Burne-Jones’ most famous paintings, dating from a critical period in the artists life. The connection with Michaelangelo has long been established. But was he the only source the painter used? It appears to be more complicated, mixing different pieces, with some anatomical consequences. Van Eyck, Marcontonio Raimondi and Medieval art, amongst others, are here to complete the scheme in a way that expresses Burne-Jones’ creation processes. From multiple ideas, sources and drawings, he created the best illustration of his vision, even if some construction problems remain: a case we can ring in other works. This paper will focus on new readings of the work, its sources and the materials used by the artist, adding some anatomical studies.

Tina (Martine) Anderlini, PhD in History of Arts, Bordeaux III, 2003.

Dissertation: Edward Burne-Jones ou Eduardo della Francesca? Les processus de creation et les references de…