Days of Creation - Fifth

Days of Creation — Fifth (1870), in gouache at the Fogg Museum, depicts the angel holding the sphere in which the fifth day's creation — the fish of the sea and the birds of the air — is reflected. Within the six-panel series, the fifth day represents the emergence of animal life as distinct from vegetation and the heavenly bodies, and Burne-Jones would have found in it the opportunity to include the natural world's creatures within the crystal sphere's reflected microcosm. The Fogg Museum holds this alongside the Day allegory of the same date, reflecting concentrated acquisition of Burne-Jones's 1870 work. The series' production was part of his deep engagement with William Morris and the circle around Kelmscott and the Arts and Crafts movement, which sought to reunify fine and decorative arts through attention to craft, natural form, and historical precedent.

In gouache, the fifth day's bird and fish subject would require Burne-Jones to render these creatures within the small scale of the crystal sphere in miniaturized but still legible form, exploiting his skill in decorative small-scale imagery developed through embroidery and stained glass design.