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Not currently on display at the V&A

The Black Cape

Print
1894 (first published), 1907 (published)
Artist/Maker
Beardsley, Aubrey Vincent (artist)
Lane, John (publisher)
Place of origin
London (made)
London (published)

Black and white line block print on Japanese vellum depicting a woman, perhaps Salome, shown in profile, in an extravagant black cape and flowing skirt adorned with stylised floral and decorative motifs. She is also wearing a small bonnet, perched on top of her oversized hair and holds an object in her right hand.


Object details

Categories
Prints
Illustration
Theatre
Books
Designs
Object type
Print
Titles
  • The Black Cape (generic title)
  • A Portfolio of Aubrey Beardsley's drawings illustrating 'Salome' by Oscar Wilde (series title)
Materials and techniques
Line block print on Japanese vellum
Japanese Vellum
Line Block
Brief description
Print by Aubrey Beardsley, 'The Black Cape', plate VI from 'A Portfolio of Aubrey Beardsley's drawings illustrating 'Salome' by Oscar Wilde', published by John Lane, London, 1907, line block print on Japanese vellum
Physical description
Black and white line block print on Japanese vellum depicting a woman, perhaps Salome, shown in profile, in an extravagant black cape and flowing skirt adorned with stylised floral and decorative motifs. She is also wearing a small bonnet, perched on top of her oversized hair and holds an object in her right hand.
Dimensions
  • Image height: 228mm
  • Image width: 163mm
  • Sheet height: 343mm
  • Sheet width: 272mm
Style
Art Nouveau
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'PLATE VI' (Printed text in the lower left hand corner of the sheet.)
  • (Signed with the artist's monogram in the lower right hand corner of the image.)
Credit line
Given by Michael Harari, in memory of his father, Ralph A. Harari
Object history
From 'A Portfolio of Aubrey Beardsley's drawings illustrating 'Salome' by Oscar Wilde'. Second issue. Published by John Lane, London [1907]. With contents sheet in letterpress and 17 plates [E.422 to 438-1972] in a portfolio of grey-green paper boards, half bound in vellum, with green silk tapes, stamped in gold with title and the rose-bush motif from the 1894 edition. With the stamp of A. Lang Buchhandlung Moskau inside the front cover.

The plates are no longer in the portfolio but are now mounted separately.

According to Stephen Calloway in his book, Aubrey Beardsley, London: V&A Publications, 1998, p. 80: this is 'one of the designs substituted by the artist for an unacceptable image, and described by him as 'simply beautiful, but quite irrelevant'.'
Production
First printed in 1894; this print is from the second edition, 1907.
Subject depicted
Salome
Association
Wilde, Oscar
Literary referenceOscar Wilde's 'Salome'
Associated object
C.22146:6
Bibliographic references
  • Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints, Drawings and Paintings Accession Register for 1972
  • Calloway, Stephen. Aubrey Beardsley. London: V & A Publications, 1998. 224pp, illus. ISBN: 1851772197. p. 69
Other number
Plate VI - Plate number
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.427-1972

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1026353/the-black-cape-print-beardsley-aubrey-vincent/
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