Troy Triptych - Study of Two Putti

Troy Triptych: Study of Two Putti (1871) is a preparatory work related to Burne-Jones's projected triptych on the Trojan War cycle—one of several large-scale projects he planned but never fully completed. Putti—the small winged child-figures derived from classical Eros imagery and ubiquitous in Renaissance decoration—appear in his work as decorative or symbolic framing elements. The Birmingham Museums Trust holds this oil study alongside many other preparatory works in their extensive Burne-Jones collection, reflecting his practice of making highly finished studies as independent works. The Trojan War offered rich narrative material touching on love, heroism, fate, and destruction—themes central to Burne-Jones's worldview. Studies like this one reveal his working method: building compositions through separate figure studies that could be combined or adapted for larger projects.

Oil on canvas with the direct, exploratory quality of a working study rather than a finished exhibition piece. The handling of the putti—their soft, rounded forms and delicate wing treatment—shows Burne-Jones developing his approach to these conventional decorative figures within his own visual language.