The four seasons

Personifications of the seasons were a popular subject for the Pre-Raphaelites and the artists of the Aesthetic movement, as they had been for the quattrocento artists who inspired them. Usually depicted as beautiful women, as here, the figures hold attributes and are placed in settings which identify their subjects. Stylistically the present group relate to The Garland, a series of six watercolours painted by Edward Burne-Jones in 1867, based on his designs for stained glass in the Green Dining Room at the South Kensington Museum, one of which was sold in these Rooms, 4 September 2014, lot 45.

We are grateful to John Christian for attributing these drawings to Charles Fairfax Murray in January 2016.