John Buckland-Wright (British, 1897-1954), copperplate engravings on Montgolfier paper, several sheets with watermarks, for "Pasiphae: A Poem by A.S. Swinburne", Golden Cockerel Press, 1950, ed. 500. Seven copperplate engravings including the frontispiece from Victorian poet Algernon Charles Swinburne's "Pasiphae" which was not published during Swinburne’s lifetime, most likely because of its risque sexual theme. Swinburne's poem presents the interaction between master craftsman Daedalus and the Minotaur’s mother, the Minoan Queen Pasiphae, who was according to legend cursed with an voracious desire to mate with a beautiful bull. Size: sheets measure 11" L x 7.5" W (27.9 cm x 19 cm)

Born in Dunedin, New Zealand on December 3, 1897, John Buckland-Wright studied architecture at Clifton and Oxford; however, in 1924 he rejected an offer for an architectural partnership to become an artist. He elected to settle in Brussels where his mother and stepfather lived - a very good decision since in the mid 1920s, Belgium hosted a flourishing community of artists. In 1929, he moved to Paris to work with Stanley William Hayter at Atelier 17, oftentime stepping in as lead for Hayter. In 1939, Buckland-Wright returned to London and taught at Camberwell followed by the Slade School after 1952.

Buckland-Wright's oeuvre focused on printmaking, and he illustrated several books published by private presses. Quite a few, including these "Pasiphae" engravings, were of an erotic nature. Buckland-Wright’s work is represented in the collections of the Museum Meermanno in The Hague, Bibliotheque Nationale de France, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Tate Gallery. In addition, the British Museum was given a sizeable collection of his work following his death on September 27, 1954.

Provenance: ex-Denenberg Fine Arts, Los Angeles, California, USA

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#136699

Slight toning to paper commensurate with age. Most pages have Montgolfier watermark. Crease to lower right margin corner of frontispiece. Otherwise excellent.