Hollyer Burne-Jones Study for Masque of Cupid Sir Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898)

The drawing presents three distinct male heads arranged horizontally across the composition. Each face is rendered in profile, though with varying degrees of turn towards the viewer, creating a dynamic interplay of perspectives. The artist employed a delicate pencil technique, utilizing subtle tonal variations and hatching to suggest volume and texture.
On the left, we see a head turned sharply away, his gaze directed downwards. A sense of melancholy or introspection emanates from this figure; the downturned mouth and furrowed brow contribute to an overall impression of quiet sorrow. The hair is depicted with flowing lines, suggesting movement and unrestraint.
The central figure faces more directly forward, though his eyes are cast downward, conveying a feeling of vulnerability or perhaps resignation. His expression is softer than that of the first head, yet there remains a certain sadness in his features. The artist has paid particular attention to rendering the delicate curve of his lips and the subtle shading around his eyes.
The third head, positioned on the right, exhibits a more assertive posture and a more intense gaze directed upwards. A slight grimace or expression of pain is visible, suggesting struggle or defiance. His hair appears wilder than that of the other two figures, further emphasizing this sense of emotional turmoil.
The inscription TRUD DELITAS appears above the leftmost head, hinting at a possible narrative context or identifying the subject as someone connected to a specific story or tradition. The drawing’s character suggests it is a preparatory study for a larger work, likely involving multiple figures and complex emotions. It seems that the artist was exploring different expressions of grief, resignation, and defiance, possibly within a mythological or allegorical framework. The lack of background detail focuses attention entirely on the emotional states conveyed through facial expression and posture.