Helen, a Mermaid

Helen, a Mermaid, painted in 1880 and now at The Tullie in Carlisle, combines two classical subjects by associating Helen of Troy with the mermaid, a figure from folk mythology quite distinct from the Greek mythological tradition. This unexpected conflation reflects the Aesthetic movement's freedom with classical sources — Burne-Jones and his circle were not constrained to strict mythological accuracy but moved fluidly between sources to create images charged with beauty and associative resonance. Helen carried associations of fatal beauty, of a female face that launched a thousand ships, which could be transposed onto any beautiful dangerous female figure. The mermaid similarly embodied deadly feminine allure. Their combination creates a figure doubly marked by beautiful, fatal femininity.

The challenge of the mermaid figure — the transition between human upper body and fish tail — is one Burne-Jones handles through his characteristic practice of gradual colour and texture shift. The underwater or sea-surface setting requires a cool, aqueous palette distinct from the warmer, terrestrial colours of his inland mythological subjects.