Oxford Union murals
TheOxford Union murals(1857–1859) are a series ofmuraldecorations in theOxford Unionlibrary building. The series was executed by a team ofPre-Raphaeliteartists includingDante Gabriel Rossetti,William MorrisandEdward Burne-Jones.The paintings depict scenes fromArthurian myth.
The murals were commissioned byJohn Ruskinand the subject was probably chosen as a result of earlier Pre-Raphaelite interest in Arthurian themes, such as the illustrations toEdward Moxon's 1857 edition ofTennyson.[1]In addition to Rossetti, Morris and Burne-Jones, several other artists agreed to contribute. These were the paintersVal Prinsep,Arthur Hughes,J. H. Pollen,John Roddam Spencer Stanhopeand the sculptorAlexander Munro.[2]
The process of painting the murals was notoriously chaotic. Ruskin said that the artists were "all the least bit crazy and it's very difficult to manage them."[2]As the murals were painted directly onto the wall without plaster or adequate underpainting they began to suffer decay very quickly.[2]William Morris later completely repainted his design for the ceiling.
Rossetti's main work wasSir Lancelot's Vision of the Holy Grail.Burne-Jones paintedNimue brings Sir Peleus to Ettarde after their Quarrel.Morris executedSir Palomides' jealousy of Sir Tristram and Iseult,though his work has been described as “poorly and clumsily painted, but the background of leaves and flowers” revealed his skills in design.[3]
Jane Burden,who would later marryWilliam Morris,first appears as a model in the Oxford murals. Burden was noticed by Rossetti and Burne-Jones when she was visiting an Oxford theatre with her sister. Struck by Jane's beauty, they sought her to model for them.
In 1906 Rossetti's Pre-Raphaelite colleagueWilliam Holman Hunt,who had not been directly involved, wrote a book on the history of the decorations.