Lot 417
ARTHUR RACKHAM (1867-1939)
'HELENA', 1907
Auction: Day Two inc FL Griggs : A Cotswold Legacy | Lots 334 to 654 | Thursday 16th October from 10am
Description
pen, ink and watercolour, signed and dated lower right ARTHUR RACKHAM 1907
Dimensions
28.2cm x 18cm (frame size 61.5cm x 49cm)
Footnote
Arthur Rackham (1867–1939), a central figure of the Edwardian “Golden Age of Illustration,” trained at the Lambeth School of Art while working as a clerk, later refining his skills through magazine illustration. By the early twentieth century he was widely recognised for books that combined delicate linework with translucent washes of colour, creating images at once enchanting and subtly unsettling.
This watercolour of Helena, from William Heinemann’s 1908 edition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, exemplifies his style. The dreamlike atmosphere not only reflects Shakespeare’s world of magic and confusion but also highlights Rackham’s talent for combining beauty with an undercurrent of unease.