Description
“Roger Bacon” is a very fine well-inked impression in very good condition. This etching was one of five drawn by Pyle and issued as a “Portfolio of Etchings,” published by the Bibliophile Society of Boston in 1903.
Annotation
This etching was one of five drawn by Pyle and issued as a “Portfolio of Etchings,” published by the Bibliophile Society of Boston in 1903. Limited to 302 sets according to Morse and Brinckle. The Bibliophile Society commissioned Pyle to create a series of paintings of famous authors and bibliophiles for a four-volume set of books on bibliomania. The work was so successful they decided to have Bicknell create etchings of them, after which they were reissued inside large cardboard and wood clasped portfolio.
The subject of this piece, Roger Bacon, was medieval English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature. In the early modern era, he was regarded as a wizard and particularly famed for communicating with the dead.
About Howard Pyle & William H.W. Bicknell
William Harry Warren Bicknell, a Massachusetts native known for his printmaking, etched this Howard Pyle composition for the members of The Bibliophile Society. The print has the Bibliophile Society stamp lower center. Signed in pencil by both Bicknell and Pyle.
Howard Pyle is best known for his images of early American historical characters and events. An important and influential illustrator, he was the founder of the “Brandywine School” and was once called “the father of American Illustration” by the New York Times. He illustrated over 100 books and his work appeared in major magazines.
Howard Pyle was born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1853 to a Quaker family. He had little interest in education but was encouraged to study at the studio of F.A. Van der Weilen in Philadelphia. He later took some lessons at the Art Students League of New York. It was in New York that he gained national and international fame. Encouraged by artists such as A.B. Frost and Frederick S. Church, he submitted articles and illustrations to magazines such as Harper’s Monthly and Scribner’s Magazine.
Howard Pyle was an influential artist, illustrator, and teacher. His works such as The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood and the Book of Pirates created an image of rogues and pirates that remain in popular culture until the modern-day. In 1881, he married Anne Poole and they had seven children. Besides his times in New York, most of his life was spent with his family in Delaware.
In a time where illustrators were the celebrities of the American population, he was incredibly well-known and respected as an illustrator in connection with both his magazine articles and children’s books. In Delaware, he taught students at the Howard Pyle School of Art. His style was adopted by several artists, who were later referred to as learners of The Brandywine School. Howard Pyle lived in Delaware until his death in 1911. He received no formal awards but his influence can still be seen in modern images and archetypes, including the characters of the popular film series, Pirates of the Caribbean.
Much of his life’s work can be found in a collection at the Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington, Delaware. [Source: Wikipedia]
More artwork by Howard Pyle coming soon.
