''Madam' said Sir Tristram, 'this is a fair shield and a mighty''

Details

Sir William Russell Flint, R.A., P.R.W.S., R.S.W. (1880-1969)
''Madam' said Sir Tristram, 'this is a fair shield and a mighty''
signed and dated 'W.RUSSELL FLINT. MCMX.' (lower right) and inscribed 'Madam, said Sir Tristram, this is a fair shield and a mighty/Malory. Book IX Ch. XLII/Vol. 2 No. 6 in order of delivery/Vol II. 6' (on the reverse).
pencil and watercolour with gum arabic, heightened with touches of bodycolour and with scratching out, on artist's board
8 5/8 x 11 in. (22 x 28 cm.)

Literature

T. Mallory, Le Morte Darthur [sic], London, 1911, illustrated opposite p. 424.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

Flint was commissioned to illustrate the 1910-11 Medici Society edition of Sir Thomas Malory's, Le Morte Darthur [sic]. The work won him a silver medal at the Paris Salon in 1913. He recalled, 'Medievalism was the vogue and when Lee Warner asked me to illustrate a four-volume limited edition of Malory's classic I leapt at the chance. The long tale is so rich in imagery, so stimulating and full of colour that I enjoyed my two-year job and was sorry when it ended - the devotional magnificence of some of the chapters had gripped me' (see Sir William Russell Flint, R.A., Royal Academy Diploma Gallery exhibition catalogue, London, 1962, p. 43).

Another watercolour from this series was sold in these Rooms, 8 June 2000, lot 8 (£10,575).

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