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111 RACKHAM, Arthur (illus.); IBSEN, Henrik. “The Dance of the Trolls”. 1936 Original artwork abounding in “Rackhamerie” Published within Rackham’s illustrated edition of Ibsen’s Peer Gynt in 1936. The watercolour depicts the “great assembly of troll courtiers, brownies, and gnomes” in the Royal Hall of the King of the Trolls from scene six. It is reproduced opposite page 74 and is one of 12 colour plates within the book. As noted in his essay on “Rackham’s Best Book Illustrations”, Fred Gettings states that “in the troll scenes” within Peer Gynt , “Rackhamerie abounds” (p. 165). A review of the book in the New York Times described the artist’s work as “delightfully impish and imaginative” and stated, “it is seldom that the work of artist and author is more happily married”. Original drawing (268 × 206 mm) on artist’s board (345 × 280 mm), fine ink and watercolour, signed (“Arthur Rackham”) lower right, with “Peer Gynt ARackham” in the artist’s hand on reverse, mounted, framed, and glazed (framed size 519 × 444 mm). Fine condition. ¶ Fred Gettings, Arthur Rackham , 1976; New York Times , 13 December 1935. £40,000 [154988] 112 RACKHAM, Arthur (illus.); IBSEN, Henrik. Peer Gynt. London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd, 1936 One of ten copies in a specially commissioned binding and with an original pen-and-ink and watercolour drawing by Rackham Deluxe edition, number six of ten “special copies” reserved by the publisher, presented in a specially commissioned luxury binding and including a delightful full-page original pen-and-
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ink and watercolour drawing by Rackham (signed “Arthur Rackham 36”), showing Peer Gynt being swarmed by the trolls and surrounded by anthropomorphic trees. Describing his artistic method for these “specials”, Rackham pointed out that “my little sketches must inevitably be of a light hearted or joking nature . . . They have to be spontaneous and free handed. The nature of the paper is such that there can be no preparatory drawing and no alterations”. Riall comments that “From The King of the Golden River (1932), Harrap issued nine or ten copies, seven being for sale, of a special issue of the first limitation numbers of the limited edition” ( Bibliography of Arthur Rackham , 1994, p. xvi). Quarto (265 × 189 mm). Specially bound for the publisher in green full morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, gilt-lettered and panelled spine, single-line gilt panel on sides with gilt corner ornaments from designs by Rackham, two-line gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers (the original pictorial endpapers bound in after binder’s blanks), top edges gilt, others untrimmed. Housed in a green quarter morocco solander box by the Chelsea Bindery. Coloured frontispiece and 11 mounted colour plates, black and white drawings in the text, by Rackham. A fine copy. ¶ Latimore & Haskell, p. 74; Riall, p. 192. £25,000 [135675]
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All items are fully described and photographed at peterharrington.co.uk
CHILDREN’S BOOKS & ORIGINAL ARTWORK
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