The Challenge
- To protect ten cartoons in gouache on paper while simultaneously providing an optimal viewing experience.
The Solution
Optium Museum Acrylic®
Anti-reflective
Allows viewers to see the works rather than their own reflections.
Acrylic is half the weight of glass and shatter resistant
Safeguards against injury and damage to art work and visitors.
Anti-static protection exceeds that of glass
Makes for safer, easier framing and less cleaning.
Abrasion resistant
A durable hard coat protects against scratches from cleaning and general exposure to the public.
99% UV blocking
Protects the art works from the most damaging light wavelengths, helping prevent fading and degradation.
The Work
The Baring Room at the Southampton City Gallery in the United Kingdom exhibits a complete series of works by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones on the Story of Perseus.
The Perseus series are ten cartoons in gouache for a group of large oil paintings commissioned in 1875 for the London home of the British statesman and arts patron Arthur Balfour (1848-1930). Pre-Raphaelite Burne-Jones worked on the series for ten years, but never completed all the paintings due to ill health.
The Perseus series is based on a number of Greek myths. Essentially it is a heroic tale of knight-errantry and the triumph of good over evil. Perseus, son of the God Zeus is sent to rescue the beautiful Andromeda and kill the Gorgon Medusa. The legend has been popular in art since antiquity. Rubens, Titian and Delacroix all painted aspects of it. Burne-Jones depicts the main episodes to form a coherent and engaging narrative.
More Info
- Watch this video to learn more about The Perseus Series.
- Explore the Perseus Story: A Virtual Tour