Praying Angels and Poppies (Border Design for Thomas Malory, "Le Morte d'Arthur," J. M. Dent 1893–94, Part III, book vii, chapter i, p. 219)

Aubrey Vincent Beardsley British
 Related author Sir Thomas Malory British

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Beardsley made hundreds of detailed ink drawings to illustrate J. M. Dent’s 1893–94 edition of Le Morte d’Arthur, and this border design was used to frame a tale of King Arthur’s piety in book seven, chapter one, titled "How Beaumains Came to King Arthur's Court and Demanded Three Petitions of King Arthur." The theme is underscored by angels whose repeated forms depend on a medievalist aesthetic, but the irregular shape of the lilies—shown open and closed with curvilinear stems—anticipates Art Nouveau.

Praying Angels and Poppies (Border Design for Thomas Malory, "Le Morte d'Arthur," J. M. Dent 1893–94, Part III, book vii, chapter i, p. 219), Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (British, Brighton, Sussex 1872–1898 Menton), Pen and carbon black ink, brush and wash

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