Spring

Louis Fairfax Muckley was a member of a Birmingham group of painters associated with late Pre-Raphaelitism, which included Gaskin, Gere and Southall. They were influenced by Burne-Jones, who was himself from Birmingham, and held the post of President of The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists in 1885. Around this time, Muckley would have no doubt met Burne-Jones whilst he was studying at the Municipal School of Art. Like so many of his contemporaries he was involved with the Arts and Crafts movement, learning, amongst other things, the art of book illumination.

Muckley chose to exhibit in London at the New Gallery, where the Aesthetic Movement was prevalent, and this aestheticism is apparent throughout his work. It is rare for pictures by Muckley to appear on the market, as he was not prolific. However, some examples can be seen in the book illustrations that he completed, which include Spenser's Faerie Queen, published in 1897.