This drawing is a study for The Rock of Doom (1884-88), one of eight paintings Burne-Jones devoted to the Greek legend of Perseus, the hero who rescued the princess Andromeda from a sea monster. It concentrates on the figure of Andromeda, who has been chained to a rock. The lack of other narrative elements lends the figure a monumental physical presence and allows the artist to focus on the sensual qualities of the nude. The soft roundness of her flesh is achieved through curving touches of black chalk, highlighted sparingly with white bodycolor.
