Christie’s, London, 5 June 1919, 'Remaining Works of the Late Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Bart sold by his Executors', lot 152;
Gooden & Fox, London;
Acquired by William Butler Yeats of 82 Merrion Square, Dublin in the 1920s and thence by descent

STRUCTURE The sheet has been laid-down onto another sheet and undulates in the frame. The sheet has been extended on both sides by the artists with vertical strips of paper which has been drawn over to increase the width of the composition. There are creases, tears and dirt to the paper consistent with a working drawing. The drawing would benefit from being cleaned. FRAME Contained in a simple black-painted wooden frame and under glass with a clean mount.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Burne-Jones was fascinated by the legend of the sirens and for many years considered painting the subject. In 1872 the theme was one of four that he most desired to paint, but twenty years later he was still pontificating about how to depict it; ‘I am making a plan for a picture that will not be very big and will need to be very pretty’ he wrote in a letter ‘It is a sort of Siren-land – I don’t know when or where – not Greek Sirens, but any Sirens, anywhere, that lure on men to destruction. There will be a shore full of them, looking out from rocks and crannies in the rocks at a boat full of armed men, and the time will be sunset. The men shall look at the women and the women at the men, but what happens next is more than I care to tell’ (Georgiana Burne-Jones, Memorials of Edward Burne-Jones, 1904, p.308). A finished painting had been promised to Frederick Leyland, the shipping magnate and Pre-Raphaelite collector. In about 1891 Burne-Jones wrote to him; ‘I want to show you the design as far as I have gone, of the Sirens. It is very rough, only a scheme, but you can tell sufficiently, I think. I have made two. One is that little black invention almost literally enlarged, and the other is a variation upon it’. The present sketch may be one of the designs referenced in the letter, although the squaring suggests that it was made late in the preparation of the painting when the design was being transferred to the canvas. There are two large coloured pastel versions of The Sirens (National Gallery of South Africa, Capetown and in a private collection) and an alternative gouache design (offered in these rooms, 28 November 2002, lot 26). Many exquisite pencil studies for the heads of the Sirens are in various collections (including Birmingham City Art Gallery). The oil painting The Sirens (The Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota) was not finished before Leyland’s death but is one of Burne-Jones' most powerful designs.

This drawing was in the collection of the poet William Butler Yeats and is probably the one referenced in a letter from him dated 14 December 1940 in which he described a needle-work being worked upon by his sister Lily; 'She has just done a silk and wool design after a Burne Jones drawing of a Burne Jones ship' (Bonhams, 4 November 2008, lot 367).