The 1878 exhibition catalogue entry for this painting included the lyrics “Alas, I know a love song, / Sad or happy, each in turn.” Fittingly, Cupid, with arrows slung over his shoulder, pumps the organ at right. Artists and writers of the period embraced music as a model for art that appealed directly to the emotions. One critic said of this picture, “There is no story: nothing to guess at, but everything to feel.” Burne-Jones also associated the melancholy scene with his tempestuous affair with artist and model Maria Zambaco (1843-1914). The painting was first owned by businessman William Graham, who commissioned the Small Briar Rose series displayed nearby.
1870/Unknown Place