Hero
Artist: Edward Burne-Jones (British, 1833–1898)
Date: 19th century
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: Private collection
Description
In Greek mythology Hero was a priestess of Aphrodite at Sestos, on the shores of the Hellespont. Her lover, Leander, lived at Abydos, a town on the opposite, Asian, side, and at night would swim across the water to join her, guided by a beacon which she lit. One stormy night he was drowned, and Hero, in despair, threw herself into the sea. The story is told by the Greek poet Musaeus and by Ovid in his Heroides, a source which often provided Burne-Jones with subjects.
The picture shows Hero lighting her beacon with dead leaves, the dark blue background suggesting the depths of night. It has an impeccable Burne-Jones provenance, having been bought from the artist by William Graham and descended in Graham’s family to the present day.
