Study of Pilgrim for Romaunt of the Rose c. 1873 - 1877

This is Edward Burne-Jones's pencil Study of Pilgrim for Romaunt of the Rose. It’s a delicate work, just graphite on paper, yet it speaks volumes about the artist's wider practice. Burne-Jones was fascinated by the way things are made. He was deeply influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, which saw handcraft as an ethical alternative to industrial production. You can see this sensibility in the careful rendering of the pilgrim’s robes. The subtle gradations of tone, achieved through countless pencil strokes, create a sense of volume and texture, as if the fabric is almost tangible. Now, consider the social context. Burne-Jones lived in a time of great social inequality, and the Arts and Crafts movement offered a critique of this inequality through its emphasis on skilled labor. Although this drawing is only a study, it reflects Burne-Jones's commitment to craftsmanship as a form of social and political expression. The drawing may seem simple, but it is imbued with the values of a movement that sought to reclaim the dignity of labor and the beauty of handmade things.