This watercolour of St Dorothy is one of two rarely seen works by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones that have been generously loaned by the Sir Denis Mahon Charitable Trust on behalf of a private collector for visitors to enjoy over the coming year.
St Dorothy was martyred under the Roman Emperor Diocletian (reigned 284 – 305 AD) after her conversion to Christianity and refusal to marry. She holds a sword in reference to her martyrdom and a basket of flowers, whilst grasping the hand of an infant angel. According to legend, St Dorothy was executed for her Christian faith on a bitterly cold day which Burne-Jones alludes to in the winter sky. On the way to her execution Dorothy was taunted by the Roman notary Theophilus, who mockingly asked her to send him a basket of flowers from heaven. After Dorothy’s death, the flowers were delivered by an angel, resulting in Theophilus’s conversion and subsequent martyrdom and sainthood.
The figure was originally designed for the East Window of All Saints Church in Jesus Lane, Cambridge, built by G.F. Bodley in the early 1860s. The interior of the new church, created for an expanding congregation, was lavishly decorated. Morris & Co’s stained glass, including the St Dorothy panel can still be seen in situ today. It is likely that this painting was developed on top of Burne-Jones’ original stained glass cartoon.
The inscription on the panel records that it was given as gift to Rosalind Howard, Countess of Carlisle. Rosalind and George Howard were great friends and patrons of Burne-Jones and Morris, and it has been suggested that the work may have been presented to Rosalind to mark the birth of her ninth child, a daughter named Dorothy in 1881.
