Other Individual Original Paper Art
1921 "The Fable of Alf and Pete." K.D. Vanity Fair, September, 1921. 8.5" x 11".
An original fable in the magazine “Vanity Fair”. The author's initials are K.D. The title states “The Fable of Alph and Pete; Showing That There Is Frequently More Than One Way of Getting By.” A print of a picture titled “Geraldine and Pete” accompanies the story. The visual artist’s name is Paul Thevenaz.
1950? Original hand-painted card, 5½" x 3½", presenting CW. Nantes: Madame Yvonne. €10 at Recto-Verso, Strasbourg, July, '19.
There is a story somewhere behind this handmade card! This cat-woman has seized the mouse. The room shows evidence of her mad dash to catch the mouse. Is that a TV in the background? And is that something like a Billiken on top of the TV? I am a little confused about the cat-woman's clothing. Where does dress stop and skin start? Her lower half seems to indicate something like a dress or robe. Her upper body seems uncovered. There is not only a story behind the creation of this card. I would love to learn something of its history. What a surprise find!
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1960? Four original pen-and-ink drawings of Aesop's fables, about 4" x 2½'. FS, FC, TH, and WL. €60 at Daniel & Lilli, Saint-Ouen Flea Market, June, '19.
How surprising to find four original "India ink" drawings in a shop specializing in buttons on a hot weekend afternoon at the Marché des Puces! These drawings are quite clever. The stork is turning down the fox's soup without even trying it! The fox is holding out his top hat to catch the crow's cheese. The hare is catching butterflies while the tortoise crosses the finish line. The wolf at the river carries a big stick as he accosts the lamb with his jacket and neck-kerchief. The lettering is so perfect on these four drawings that I wonder if they were not printed. In any case, I delight in them!
1969-80 Sixteen original cuts, either woodcuts or linocuts, signed, originally appearing in Illustration 63. All but one are folded over. 8" x 11¾" and slightly smaller. $110 for the sixteen from Paul Dufrasne, Berlin, Germany, Nov.-Dec., '00. GGE; FG; TH, CP.
These fine illustrations show that Aesopic fables remain material on which good artists develop their style. My favorites from these strong works include Klaus Eberlein's FC with its strong figures and lovely colors, Herbert F. Plahl's "The Statue-Seller" with its heavy musculature and curious facial expression, and Eduard Prüssen's FC with its firm designs
- Helmut Ackermann: "The Fox and the Eagle," linocut. Beilage zu Illustration 63, Heft 2. 1972. (2 copies)
- Helmut Ackermann: "The Wolf and the Goat," linocut and initial. 6¾" x 9½". Beilage zu Illustration 63, Heft 3. 1981.
- Helmut Ackermann: FC, linocut and initial. 7½" x 11". Beilage zu Illustration 63, Heft 3. 1980.
- Helmut Ackermann: "Ass and Crow," linocut on Aesop, signed. Beilage zu Illustration 63, Heft 3. 1979.
- Archibald Bajorat, FC, three-colored woodcut. Beilage zu Illustration 63, Heft 3. 1980.
- Klaus Eberlein, FC, four-colored linocut. Beilage zu Illustration 63, Heft 1. 1981.
- Klaus Eberlein, "The Ass and the Lion," four-colored linocut. Beilage zu Illustration 63, Heft 2. 1972.
- Peter Kleinschmidt: "Fox and Grapes," linocut for Flupp Hugats Sprachspiel-Variation of an Aesopic fable. 6¾" x 9½". Beilage zu Illustration 63, Heft 1. 1979.
- Walther Kohlhase, "Fox and Grapes," woodcut for Flupp Hugats third variation of an Aesopic fable. 5¾" x 7½". Beilage zu Illustration 63, Heft 1. 1979.
- Herbert F. Plahl, "The Birdcatcher and the Asp," woodcut. Beilage zu Illustration 63, Heft 3. 1970.
- Herbert F. Plahl, "The Statue-Seller," woodcut. Beilage zu Illustration 63, Heft 1. 1969.
- Eduard Prüssen, FC, woodcut. 7" x 10¼". Beilage zu Illustration 63, Heft 3. 1980
A beautiful ink drawing on fine paper featuring the fox and the crow, who are the main characters of Jean de la Fontaine’s fable, Le Renard et le Corbeau. The expressions on the faces of the fox and the crow accurately depict the emotions of the story.
- Otto Schlosser, "Die Schildröte und der Adler," linocut accompanying the translation of Wilhelm Binder and Johannes Siebelis. Beilage zu Illustration 63, Heft 2. 1974.
- Annette Ziegler, "Der Kreissende Berg," two-colored linocut. 6¾" x 9½". Beilage zu Illustration 63, Heft 1. 1973.
- Eugen von Zitzewitz, UP, three-colored linocut. 7½" x 10½". Beilage zu Illustration 63, Heft 2. 1981.
1970 "The Belling of the Cat." Water-color and ink panel by Lisa Haderlie. 4" x 7½" on paper set inside oval matting and framed in glass. $25 from William Hayes at the Alameda flea market, Jan., '02.
This is a typical instance of my collecting luck. At this flea market, I asked only a few dealers if they might have anything dealing with fables. Luckily, this was one of the dealers whom I asked! His answer was something like "Well, does Belling the Cat count?" Of course it does! Here is a one-of-a-kind work. The mouse is all ready, with bell in paw, as another mouse looks on from above. Is the cat aware of what is happening and about to make a move? How lucky of me to find this piece! Click on the smaller version just below to see a larger version.
1975? Hand-painted colored picture of TH. About 3½" x 7⅛". €30 from Daniel et Lilli, Marché Dauphine, Saint-Ouen, France, June, '19.
Here was one of two surprises in a blisteringly hot weekend foray to the Marché aux Puces! "Daniel et Lilli" is basically a button shop on the first floor of the Marché Dauphine. I did find buttons, but I found more brooches and drawings. The helpful attendant just kept bringing me more things! These lovely finds made up for an otherwise not-so-successful day. The bunny sleeps blissfully against a tree while the tortoise passes by. What lovely work, and what a lovely "save" from the fate of most ephemera for this one-of-a-kind object!
1975? Hand-painted colored picture of WL. About 4" x 7". €28 from Daniel et Lilli, Marché Dauphine, Saint-Ouen, France, June, '19.
Here was one of two surprises in a blisteringly hot weekend foray to the Marché aux Puces! "Daniel et Lilli" is basically a button shop on the first floor of the Marché Dauphine. I did find buttons, but I found more brooches and drawings. The helpful attendant just kept bringing me more things! These lovely finds made up for an otherwise not-so-successful day. I enjoy the wolf and the lamb here, but I wonder what the wolf holds in his left paw. Again, what a lovely "save" from the fate of most ephemera for this one-of-a-kind object!
1984? Ten original prints with text by Sarah Chamberlain. Each signed and numbered 26 of 35. $160 from the artist, Oct., '89. Fables: "The Ass in a Lion's Skin"; FS; FK; LM; FC; "The Cock and the Jewel"; GGE; FG; TH, CP.
Beautiful multi-colored work. The best of the set are "The Ass in a Lion's Skin," FK, and LM. A lovely treasure. See now the book of these prints which Ms. Chamberlain published in 1984.
1990 Five original watercolors of "A Farmer and a Mother Lark" by Kim Young-ok, student at Sogang University. Assigned, confiscated, and donated by Margaret Carlson Lytton, Spring, 1990.
Done originally as a class assignment for a story to be told with a visual aid. The fable's beginning and ending come across especially well in these simple and lively prints. How nice to see Aesop alive in this student's imagination!
1992 The Town Rat and the Country Rat. By Jean de la Fontaine. A Coloring Book. Illustrations by Mary-Margaret Dupin.
This class-assignment creative work matches lively computer-generated designs of mice with a summary of La Fontaine's fable. One of a kind!
1992 A Fairy Tale Which Turned into a Fable. Fable written for Gregory Carlson, S.J., by June Clinton. Sent with a letter from the author, Sept., '92.
Delightful story about Solon, Aesop, and Croesus, asking which of the three had the happy ending and concluding that no one lives happily ever after. I would add: "And some do not more than others"! A delightful unique gift.
2000? Illusions, ACEO Nude Drawing Mirror Art Card print. © Nicole B. Fekaris. 2½" x 3½". Signed "Nicci." $.99 from Nicole Fekaris through eBay, June, '10.
The backwards writing says "Beware that you do not lose the substance by grasping at the shadow. Aesop." I am delighted to see how widely Aesop's DS story gets around. I tried seeing if there was an allusion in this evocative drawing to that story, but I think that the artist's intent is to draw attention rather to the play of light and shadow. Good advice, well echoed here! To see an enlarged version in mirror form, click here.
