Le Morte Darthur thumbnail 1
Le Morte Darthur thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Le Morte Darthur

Drawing
ca.1893-4 (made)
Artist/Maker
Aubrey Beardsley (artist)
Place of origin
London (made)

A drawing in black ink depicting a stylised image showing a youth, dressed in medieval clothing, standing beside a sundial. To the right of him there are three ladies walking and in the background there is a tree.


Object details

Categories
Drawings
Books
Illustration
Myths & Legends
Designs
Object type
Drawing
TitleLe Morte Darthur (series title)
Materials and techniques
Pen and ink on paper
Paper
Ink
Drawing
Brief description
Drawing by Aubrey Beardsley, a youth beside a sundial, design for a chapter heading in Thomas Malory’s 'Le Morte Darthur', omitted from the first edition but used for Chapter VII, Book IV, p.75 in the edition of 1909, pen and ink, London, ca.1893-4
Physical description
A drawing in black ink depicting a stylised image showing a youth, dressed in medieval clothing, standing beside a sundial. To the right of him there are three ladies walking and in the background there is a tree.
Dimensions
  • Sheet height: 12.3cm
  • Sheet width: 9.4cm
  • Image height: 120mm
  • Image width: 90mm
Pasted onto sheet: 40.4 x 28.4 cm
Object history
Beardsley was commissioned by J. M. Dent to produce illustrations for his intended republication of Malory's romantic tale 'Le Morte Darthur'; it was Beardsley's first commission. This design was for a chapter heading for Chapter VII, Book IV of 'Le Morte Darthur'. It was omitted from the first edition, published by Dent between 1893-4, but was used in the edition of 1909.
Subjects depicted
Sundial
Tree
Women
Garden
Associations
J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd.
Thomas Malory
Literary reference'Le Morte Darthur' by Thomas Malory
Bibliographic references
  • Calloway, Stephen. Aubrey Beardsley. London: V & A Publications, 1998. 224pp, illus. ISBN: 1851772197. chapter 3
  • Linda Gertner Zatlin, Aubrey Beardsley : a catalogue raisonne. New Haven : Yale University Press, [2016] 2 volumes (xxxi, [1], 519, [1] pages; xi, [1], 547, [1] pages) : illustrations (some color) ; 31 cm. ISBN: 9780300111279 The entry is as follows: 676 Young Boy facing a Sundial Book IV, chapter vii, 1909 edition 1892-4 Victoria and Albert Museum, London (D.1825-1904) Pen, brush and Indian ink over pencil on beige wove paper; 4 7/8 x 3 11/16 inches (124 x 94 mm). INSCRIPTIONS: Verso in pencil: reduce by 1/2 / 2 / [in ink]: [stamp of] National Art Library / D.1825-1904 FLOWERS: Stylised flower and tree. PROVENANCE: J. M. Dent; …; bt. Victoria and Albert Museum in 1904. EXHIBITION: London 1966-8 (199). LITERATURE: Vallance 1897 (p.202), 1909 (no.59.xx); Walker 1945a (p.11); Gallatin 1945 (no. 631-41); Reade 1967 (p.324 n.153); Samuels Lasner 1995 (no.22b). REPRODUCED: Le Morte Darthur, 1909 (p. 75); Reade 1967 (plate 155). In the 1909 single volume edition of Le Morte Darthur ten drawings were included that had been omitted from the 1893-4 edition. This one is repeated in Book XVI, chapter viii, p. 482 of the 1909 edition of Le Morte Darthur. This drawing may have been omitted from the original edition because the rectangle for the chapter number cut off the upper torso of the woman at the right (Reade 1967, p. 324, plate 155); it is also possible that Beardsley designed the drawing in this startling manner.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
D.1825-1904

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O860381/le-morte-darthur-drawing-aubrey-beardsley/
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