Portrait of Katie Lewis

At the bottom of the fantastic stairs is this wonderful portrait.

"It’s 1883.  Artist Edward Burne Jones begins painting  a portrait of his best friends young daughter, Katie Lewis, a child known to be “headstrong and highly intelligent, with a wicked sense of humour and explosive vitality.”   The perfect subject for Jones, who delighted in creating non traditional portraits and other “fanciful” artwork.   The portrait of Katie  began when the girl was four, and evolved over time as did the relationship between artist and subject, into the finished product which now adorns the top of this page.   Burne Jones own children were grown and gone, and he relished the opportunity to play father figure once more.  Katie herself, the youngest child in her family and accustomed to much attention being lavished upon her, was perfectly happy to add this famous artist to her list of admirers. "

http://www.jssgallery.org/Other_Artists/Burne-Jones/Katie_Lewis.html