Burne-Jones was this close to becoming a priest but, luckily for the art world, was drawn away at the last second.

Ned Jones was born in 1833, just a poor boy from a poor family. His father was a frame-maker and his mother died of scarlet fever a few days after his birth. He found a replacement mommy in the family’s housekeeper, and led as normal a life as any 19th century kid. He attended grammar school followed by art school, followed by a stint at Oxford studying theology. All signs pointed to li'l Ned becoming a minister until he met two people who would change the course of his entire life: William Morris and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Burne-Jones and Morris were classmates and soon after meeting became friends. They had a mutual interest in poetry of Romantics like Tennyson and the writings of John Ruskin. They "visited churches and worshipped the Middle Ages and its literature.” Soon the pair met Dante Gabriel Rossetti. They had known about him before they actually met him, and when Rossetti said that maybe they should be artists, both Burne-Jones and Morris jumped at the idea. Rossetti said of Burne-Jones’ talent, “Jones's designs are marvels of finish and imaginative detail, unequaled by anything unless perhaps Albert Dürer's finest works.” Needless to say, Burne-Jones dropped out of Oxford and never looked back. He was part of the second wave of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and once you’re a brother, you’re a brother for life.

At the tender age of 23, Burne-Jones married Georgie MacDonald, who was also a painter. (Fun fact: her sisters were the mothers of Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin and the poet Rudyard Kipling.) Burne-Jones had a really really hard time keeping it in his pants though, and ended up having an affair with one of his models, the Anglo-Greek, Maria Zambaco. His marriage was never the same afterwards, and funnily enough neither was his friendship with William Morris, who sided with Georgie in the scandal because his own wife also had an extramarital affair (with Rossetti). Real classy group we got here.

Burne-Jones may not be known as the most faithful husband, but he is known for his astounding body of work across many mediums. He worked with painting (obviously), ceramic tiles, stained glass, large-scale tapestries, and illustrated books. And because he was Burne-Jones, they were all amazing. His awards include but are not limited to an honorary degree from Oxford, a baronetcy (hence the “sir”), the presidency of the Birmingham Society of Artists, and a feature in the movie "An Education," directed by Lone Scherfig, which everyone should watch.