A Female sea-monster, seated on rocks at the entrance to a cavern
Drawing
1890-1910 (made)
1890-1910 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Sidney Sime (1867-1941) worked in a mine as a child and then for a draper, barber, and sign writer, before studying at Luverpool School of Art. During the 1890s he contributed illustrations to periodicals including Eureka and The Idler. His black and white illustrations show the influence of Aubrey Beardsley. However the setting and creatures featured in his work have nightmarish undertones.
This sea-monsterhas a coiled serpentine lower body, while the writhing snakes of her hair recall the classical Greek gorgon, Medusa. The stark black and white colours and her challenging gaze conjure up a sense of nightmare that can often be found in Sime's illustrations.
This sea-monsterhas a coiled serpentine lower body, while the writhing snakes of her hair recall the classical Greek gorgon, Medusa. The stark black and white colours and her challenging gaze conjure up a sense of nightmare that can often be found in Sime's illustrations.
Object details
| Object type | |
| Title | A Female sea-monster, seated on rocks at the entrance to a cavern (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Indian ink, heightened with white |
| Brief description | Sime, Sidney (1867-1941). Drawing for an illustration in indian ink, heightened with white showing a female sea-monster, seated on rocks at the entrance to a cavern, through the mouth of which can be seen a galaxy of stars. |
| Physical description | Drawing for an illustration in indian ink, heightened with white. A female sea-monster, seated on rocks at the entrance to a cavern, through the mouth of which is seen a galaxy of stars. |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by H. H. Harrod |
| Object history | Bequeathed by H. H. Harrod |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Sidney Sime (1867-1941) worked in a mine as a child and then for a draper, barber, and sign writer, before studying at Luverpool School of Art. During the 1890s he contributed illustrations to periodicals including Eureka and The Idler. His black and white illustrations show the influence of Aubrey Beardsley. However the setting and creatures featured in his work have nightmarish undertones. This sea-monsterhas a coiled serpentine lower body, while the writhing snakes of her hair recall the classical Greek gorgon, Medusa. The stark black and white colours and her challenging gaze conjure up a sense of nightmare that can often be found in Sime's illustrations. |
| Bibliographic reference | Victoria and Albert Museum, Department of Engraving, Illustration and Design, and Department of Paintings, Accessions: 1948, Volume II, Henry Herbert Harrod Bequest, London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1957 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.1375-1948 |
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| Record created | June 30, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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