The low-resolution images published on this Website are made available under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY-NC-ND). For more details: Fitzwilliam Terms of Use
This licence does not include any images of works that are still in copyright. Artistic copyright extends from the life of the artist to 70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the artist died.
Download this imageFor further information on use of images or to license a high resolution version, please contact our image library who can discuss terms and fees.
A dream of the Nine Muses
Draughtsman: Burne-Jones, Edward
Through the National Art Collections Fund.
Height: 270 mm
Width: 355 mm
Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1927-09) by Colvin, Sidney
1870s
1871
-
1872
Lady Burne-Jones in 'Memorials', II, p. 24 records the incident which inspired this work: '... on the way to Rome, between Monte Fiascone and Viterbo, Edward fell asleep and had a dream of the nine muses on Mount Helicon, so distinct that he drew it on awaking'. This Italian trip was in 1871, so the picture either dates from that year or from 1872. The sketchbook containing a note of the composition is in the collection of Miss Mary Chamot.
Support composed of canvas
Watercolour : Gouache, varnished on canvas, mounted and framed with glass
Accession number: 1473
Primary reference Number: 26133
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Paintings, Drawings and Prints
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "A dream of the Nine Muses" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/26133 Accessed: 2025-12-05 19:55:49
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/26133
|title=A dream of the Nine Muses
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 19:55:49|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:
https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-26133
To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:
<div class="text-center">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/pdp/pdp13/1473.jpg"
alt="A dream of the Nine Muses"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">A dream of the Nine Muses</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...