B.
Populate! update #20 (happy couple #2)
Behind the scenes
Another happy couple make an appearance in the gallery's Populate! programme.
These two lovebirds are included in Face Books at the Peterborough Street Library and are taken from the beautifully printed Golden Cockerel Press book A Ballad Upon a Wedding by Sir John Suckling (1927). This book is illustrated throughout from original wood-engravings by Eric Ravillious, one of the most significant English printmakers of the first half of the 20th century. The Gallery holds several prints by Ravilious, all kindly presented by Rex Nan Kivell in 1953, which you can check out here.
Eric Ravilious The Bridegroom and The Bride (both 1927) wood-engravings. Sir John Suckling, A Ballad Upon A Wedding Golden Cockerel Press, Waltham Saint Lawrence, 1927. Collection Robert and Barbara Stewart Library and Archives, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū.
Related
Collection
Eric William Ravilious Rich Jew of Malta
This print is from the Golden Hours edition of Christopher Marlowe's 'Famous tragedy of the rich Jew of Malta' published in an edition of 250 in 1933.
Collection
Eric William Ravilious Maria and Clown
This print is from the Golden Cockerell edition of Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night', published in an edition of 275 in 1932.
Collection
Eric William Ravilious Diving Controls (2)
With a sharp light penetrating the gloom in Diving Controls II, Eric Ravilious intensifies the claustrophobic feeling of the submarine interior. His Submarine Series was based on his experiences as an Official War Artist during the Second World War, when he was stationed at the submarine training base at Gosport during mid-1940. Ravilious was a prolific printmaker, water-colourist, illustrator and designer. He taught at the Design School of the Royal College of Art and was widely respected. He was killed in 1942 whilst on a mission in Iceland.
Collection
Eric William Ravilious Doctor Faustus Conjuring Mephistophilis
Eric Ravilious was an extremely talented artist and designer who excelled at numerous artistic mediums, including wood engraving. He was a prolific illustrator for the private press movement, and produced many titles under the much- admired Golden Cockerel Press imprint thanks to his close friendship with Robert Gibbings (who at one point owned the press). Ravilious was no purist, however, shifting with ease between the worlds of high art and commercial design.
Alongside his stunning wood engravings, he was happy to design transfer illustrations for china and even furniture. Decoration to ‘Five Eyes’ was based on the poem ‘Five Eyes’ by Walter de la Mare and was used to illustrate a piano music roll, while Doctor Faustus conjuring Mephistophilis was to be used as an illustration for a Golden Cockerel Press book, Christopher Marlowe’s Dr Faustus, which unfortunately went unpublished.
The Golden Age 18 December 2015 – 1 May 2016
Collection
Eric William Ravilious Decoration To ‘Five Eyes’
Eric Ravilious was an extremely talented artist and designer who excelled at numerous artistic mediums, including wood engraving. He was a prolific illustrator for the private press movement, and produced many titles under the much- admired Golden Cockerel Press imprint thanks to his close friendship with Robert Gibbings (who at one point owned the press). Ravilious was no purist, however, shifting with ease between the worlds of high art and commercial design.
Alongside his stunning wood engravings, he was happy to design transfer illustrations for china and even furniture. Decoration to ‘Five Eyes’ was based on the poem ‘Five Eyes’ by Walter de la Mare and was used to illustrate a piano music roll, while Doctor Faustus conjuring Mephistophilis was to be used as an illustration for a Golden Cockerel Press book, Christopher Marlowe’s Dr Faustus, which unfortunately went unpublished.