Description

Edward Burne-Jones’s Hope (1896) is one of the most evocative and allegorical paintings from the late Pre-Raphaelite period. The painting depicts a barefoot woman in a flowing blue gown, personifying Hope, one of the theological virtues. She is bound by chains to the ground but raises her arm towards the sky, her eyes fixed upward with a look of yearning and faith. In her hand, she holds a branch with blossoms, signifying renewal and life even amidst hardship.