18
March 2026

Edward Burne-Jones and the Legend of the Briar Rose

Welcome to The Arts Society Clapham Common
Wednesday, March 18, 2026 - 11:00
Clapham Picturehouse
76 Venn Street London SW4 0AT
Online Event

Leading Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones was consumed for decades by his Briar Rose series of paintings, one of the greatest works of Victorian art. They tell the story of Sleeping Beauty in a mystical dream-world that intertwines medieval romance, decorative craftsmanship and natural beauty. Their exhibition in 1890 caused a sensation and artists, royalty and thousands of ordinary people flocked to see them.

In this lecture, Dr Amy Lim will look at these beautiful paintings in depth and recount their creation, exhibition and the magnificent setting that Burne-Jones designed for them at Buscot Park in Oxfordshire, where they still hang today.

 

Dr Amy Lim
Dr Amy Lim is an art historian and curator, specialising in British fine and decorative arts from the 17th to 20th centuries. She is curator of the Faringdon Collection at Buscot Park, Oxfordshire, and of the Stanley Spencer Gallery, Cookham, and a tutor at the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education. She was recently an exhibition researcher at Tate Britain, contributing to 'British Baroque: Power and Illusion' (2020) and 'Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain, 1520-1920' (2024). Amy has degrees in History and Literature & Arts from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. She runs an online art dealership, and has published articles and essays on a variety of art-related topics from gothic garden monuments to female patronage.