Arthur Rackham (British, 1867-1939)

Description:

Arthur Rackham (British, 1867-1939) Original watercolor, ink and pencil drawing of an illustration for John Milton's Comus, depicting six water nymphs dancing above the surface of a river, with five small sprites huddled together on the roots of a tree on the riverbed, signed Arthur Rackham l.r., French matted, the mat hand printed below image with artist's name, and with quote from Comus reading, ". . . the nymphs that nightly dance upon they streams . . .", sheet/image size 14 1/2 by 10 1/8 in., back of frame bearing remnant from previous framing with paper label for "Scott & Fowles, Dealers in High Class Paintings, 667 Fifth Avenue, New York," frame 26 3/4 x 21 1/2 in.

Note: This illustration was completed by Rackham for the 1921 London and New York printing of Comus, which is the colloquial title of a work created by John Milton (1608-1674). The original full title of Milton's work is A Mask presented at Ludlow Castle 1634: on Michelmas night, before the right honorable John, Earl of Bridgewater, Viscount Brackley, Lord President of Wales, and one of His Majesty's most honorable privy council. It was an allegorical story dedicated to the virtues of chastity, and was created to be set to music, and performed as a play. Such performances were known in the 17th century and 18th centuries as masques. The 1921 printing of this work contained twenty-four color plates created by Arthur Rackham, arguably one of the most famous and popular book illustrators of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Estimate $20,000-30,000

Lightly toned; affixed to publisher's card; very good overall.

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