Aubrey Beardsley (British, 1872-1898),Chapter Heading, LXIV Of the Battle Between Sir Palomides and the Two Brethren, and How the Two

Description:

Aubrey Beardsley (British, 1872-1898)

Chapter Heading, LXIV Of the Battle Between Sir Palomides and the Two Brethren, and How the Two Brethren Were Slain from Le Morte Darthur, 1892
Unsigned.
Pen, brush, and India ink over graphite on paper, sheet size 3 3/8 x 2 3/4 in. (8.3 x 7.0 cm),sandwiched between two sheets of Plexiglas.
Condition: Subtle soiling/surface grime, not examined out of Plexiglas.

Provenance: Collection of Mark Samuels Lasner, Delaware, then to a private East Coast collection.

Exhibitions: Beautiful Decadence, The Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu, Japan (as well as other venues),April 3-May 10, 1998, no. 11 (illus.)

Literature: Gillon Jr., Edmund V. Beardsley's Illustrations for La Morte Darthur (New York; Dover Publications, Inc. 1972) pp. 80, 154.; Malory, Sir Thomas, The Birth, Life, and Acts of King Arthur, of His Noble Knights of the Round Table, Their Marvelous Enquests and Adventures, The Achieving of the San Greal, and in the End, Le Morte Darthur with the Dolourous Death and Departing Out of This World of Them All,(London: J.M. Dent, 1893-1894),pg 371.

N.B. London publisher, J.M. Dent approached Aubrey Beardsley in 1892 to illustrate an edition of Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur. Beardsley, at age 20 was an unknown insurance office clerk. Dent first came across Beardsley's work through photographer Frederick H. Evans, who owned a book shop Jones & Evans frequented by Beardsley. Beardsley was paid 250 pounds for his work for Le Morte Darthur, which would be issued in 12 separate parts and he produced a total of approximately 585 illustrations for the book. A very productive period for Beardsley, during this time he also was working on his illustrations for Salomé and The Yellow Book. Le Morte Darthur is not only "a superb example of the illustrated book, but it is also the work that launched the 'Beardsley look' which was to change the appearance of the fin de siècle and influence succeeding generations…" (1)


(1) Gillon Jr., Edmund V. Bearsley's Illustrations for Le Morte Darthur (New York: Dover Publications Inc., 1972) Publishers Note pp v-vi.

Estimate $15,000-20,000

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