King Cophetua and the Beggar Maid is a work of crucial importance in Burne-Jones' career. It made an enormous impression when it was exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery in 1884, The Times declaring that it was 'not only the finest work that Mr Burne-Jones has ever painted... but one of the finest pictures ever painted by an Englishman'; and it established his reputation in France when it was shown at the Exposition Universelle in Paris five years later. It was presented to the Tate Gallery by a body of subscribers in 1900, and is still one of the artist's most famous works.
These studies are very much working drawings, made to clarify details during the painting process. The two for the figure of the King are comparable to a pair of studies bought by the Birmingham City Art Gallery from Colnaghi in 1972 (nos. 73/72 abd 74/72). The third study is for the drapery of the Beggar Maid, a passage to which Burne-Jones gave much thought. Many studies for it exist, most of them (including this one) differing considerably from the final solution.