Smithers Leonard Collection

Cover Design to Volpone by Ben Jonson, 1898. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design to Volpone by Ben Jonson, 1898. Cover of an edition of Ben Jonsons comedy play, published by Leonard Smithers

A Book of Fifty Drawings, 1897. Creator: Unknown
A Book of Fifty Drawings, 1897. Book cover designed by Aubrey Beardsley for a collection of his drawings, published by Leonard Smithers

Cover Design for A Book of Fifty Drawings, 1897. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design for A Book of Fifty Drawings, 1897. Beardsleys bizarre sense of humour and fascination with the grotesque meant that his work was deemed too scandalous by many publishers of the period

Et in Arcadia Ego, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Et in Arcadia Ego, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Beardsley was an admirer of the work of Claude and the title may be a reference to one of his paintings

Mrs. Pinchwife, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Mrs. Pinchwife, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Margery Pinchwife in male dress. Probably intended for an edition of Wycherleys Country Wife. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R

Count Valmont, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Count Valmont, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Proposed titlepage to Les Liaisons Dangereuses, by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

Cover Design for Smithers Catalogue of Rare Books, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design for Smithers Catalogue of Rare Books, 1896. Woman in a floral hat and frilled skirt reading a book on a striped sofa. A pet bird sits on a perch

Headpiece to The Pierrot of the Minute, 1897. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Headpiece to The Pierrot of the Minute, 1897. Illustration for a verse play by Ernest Dowson, published by Leonard Smithers. From " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

The Ascension of St Rose of Lima, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
The Ascension of St Rose of Lima, 1896. The saint ascends to heaven; composition inspired by Durer's The Great Fortune. From The Savoy No. 2'

The Toilet of Helen, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
The Toilet of Helen, 1895. Before a toilet that shone like the altar of Notre Dame des Victoires, Helen was seated in a little dressing-gown of black and heliotrope

Don Juan, Sganarelle and the Beggar, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Illustration for Molieres " Don Juan". Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

Cover Design to Life and Times of Madame du Barry, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design to Life and Times of Madame du Barry, 1896. The dexter arms, crest, supporters and motto [Boutez en avant, meaning push forward ] are those of the family of Du Barry Ceres...the sinister

A large Christmas Card, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
A large Christmas Card, 1895. The Virgin Mary holds the infant Christ who is wearing a Victorian nightshirt. From The Savoy No. I. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

The Comedy of the Rhinegold, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
The Comedy of the Rhinegold, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. The Rhinemaidens....frontispiece, never completed, to an edition of Wagners Opera

Cover Design to The Houses of Sin, by Vincent O Sullivan, 1897. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design to The Houses of Sin, by Vincent O Sullivan, 1897. Illustration for a volume of poetry published by Leonard Smithers. From " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

Cover Design for the Savoy No 2, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design for the Savoy No 2, 1896. Women looking at hats. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A. Walker, [The Bodley Head, London, 1948]

The Three Musicians, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
The Three Musicians, 1895. A couple in a forest scene. From The Savoy No. I. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A. Walker, [The Bodley Head, London, 1948]

A Footnote, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
A Footnote, 1896. From The Savoy No. 2. A self portrait [of Aubrey Beardsley] in which the artist has fatefully bound himself to the god of Nature

Titlepage Design for The Savoy No. 3, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Titlepage Design for The Savoy No. 3, 1896. Alternative title: Puck on Pegasus....drawing was afterwards adopted by [Leonard] Smithers as one of his trade marks and reproduced...on covers of books

Cover Design for The Savoy No. 5, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design for The Savoy No. 5, 1896. Couple in a garden. At this time the artist [Beardsley] was almost incapacitated by illness, [the tuberculosis that killed him less than two years later]

Cover Design for The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design for The Savoy No. 8, 1896. An androgynous figure in a turban tilts forward on a stool. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

Frontispiece to A Book of Bargains by Vincent O Sullivan, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Frontispiece to A Book of Bargains by Vincent O Sullivan, 1896. Woman sitting at a desk, ...represents an apparition from one of the stories in...a grim little book written in cool, clear prose

Design for the Prospectus of the Savoy, II, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Design for the Prospectus of the Savoy, II, 1895. Winged figure carrying quill pens and a sign. Illustration for " The Savoy" magazine. From " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R

Cover Design for The Savoy No. I, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design for The Savoy No. I, 1895. As originally drawn the amour is making free with a copy of The Yellow Book at his feet, a reference to Beardsleys parting with [publisher] John Lane

Cover Design for The Savoy No. 4, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design for The Savoy No. 4, 1896. Woman with bunches of grapes on ornate stand. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A. Walker, [The Bodley Head, London, 1948]

Alberich, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Alberich, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Another drawing for Das Rheingold. It has the charm of a Japanese netsuke and reminds one of an earlier drawing

The Fourth Tableau of Das Rheingold, from The Savoy No. 6, 1896. Cover design with Wotan and Loge, illustration for Wagners opera " Das Rheingold"

The Three Musicians II, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
The Three Musicians II, 1895. A couple in a forest scene. This illustration was omitted from The Savoy No. I. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

The Coiffing, from The Savoy No. 3, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
The Coiffing, from The Savoy No. 3, 1896. Woman with her hairdresser. Note diagonal line rising from the footstool to the crown on the Virgin Marys head

Cul-de-lampe to The Pierrot of the Minute, 1897. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cul-de-lampe to The Pierrot of the Minute, 1897. Illustration for a verse play by Ernest Dowson, published by Leonard Smithers. From " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

Cover Design for Dowsons Verses, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design for Dowsons Verses, 1896. " Verses", a collection of poetry by Ernest Dowson, was published by Leonard Smithers. From " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

Cover Design for The Savoy No. 7, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design for The Savoy No. 7, 1896. The eternal problem of Youth and Pedantry. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A. Walker, [The Bodley Head, London, 1948]

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. One of a series of proposed caricatures of musicians. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

Initial Letter V (Satyr) to Volpone, 1898. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Initial Letter V (Satyr) to Volpone, 1898. Illustration for an edition of Ben Jonsons eponymous comedy play, published by Leonard Smithers

The Bathers, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
The Bathers, 1895. Alternative title: On Dieppe Beach. From The Savoy No. I..It illustrates Arthur Symonss article on Dieppe. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

Initial Letters (Vulture) to Volpone, 1898. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Initial Letters (Vulture) to Volpone, 1898. Illustration for an edition of Ben Jonsons eponymous comedy play, published by Leonard Smithers

Moska, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Moska, 1895. From The Savoy No. I...illustration to Arthur Symonss article on Dieppe. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A. Walker, [The Bodley Head, London, 1948]

Titlepage to The Savoy Nos 1 and 2, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Titlepage to The Savoy Nos 1 and 2, 1895. A woman with an ostrich-feather headdress and a man in Pierrot costume. Illustration for " The Savoy", a magazine of literature, art

Initial Letter V (Column) to Volpone, 1898. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Initial Letter V (Column) to Volpone, 1898. Illustration for an edition of Ben Jonsons eponymous comedy play, published by Leonard Smithers

Cover Design to The Pierrot of the Minute, 1897. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design to The Pierrot of the Minute, 1897. Illustration for a verse play by Ernest Dowson, published by Leonard Smithers. From " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

Frontispiece to The Pierrot of the Minute, 1897. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Frontispiece to The Pierrot of the Minute, 1897. Illustration for a verse play by Ernest Dowson, published by Leonard Smithers. From " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

Initial Letter M (Venus) to Volpone, 1898. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Initial Letter M (Venus) to Volpone, 1898. Illustration for an edition of Ben Johnsons eponymous comedy play, published by Leonard Smithers

The Death of Pierrot, from The Savoy No. 6, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
The Death of Pierrot, from The Savoy No. 6, 1896. Characters from the Commedia dell Arte tiptoe towards the dying Pierrot

Tristan und Isolde, from The Savoy No. 7, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Tristan und Isolde, from The Savoy No. 7, 1896. Characters from Wagners opera. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A. Walker, [The Bodley Head, London, 1948]

The Fruit Bearers, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
The Fruit Bearers, 1895. Illustration for Beardsleys novel " Under the Hill". From The Savoy No. I. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

Initial Letter V (Elephant) to Volpone, 1898. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Initial Letter V (Elephant) to Volpone, 1898. Illustration for an edition of Ben Jonsons eponymous comedy play, published by Leonard Smithers

Contents Page of The Savoy No 1, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Contents Page of The Savoy No 1, 1895. Caricature of John Bull holding quill pen and sharpened pencils, illustration for " The Savoy" magazine

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"Smithers Leonard: Exploring the Intricate Artistry of Aubrey Beardsley" Step into the mesmerizing world of Smithers Leonard, a collection that showcases the extraordinary talent and creativity of renowned artist Aubrey Beardsley. With each stroke of his pen, Beardsley brings to life a myriad of captivating characters and scenes, leaving viewers spellbound. One cannot help but be drawn to the Cover Design for A Book of Fifty Drawings from 1897. This masterpiece serves as an enticing gateway into Beardsley's artistic universe, inviting us to delve deeper into his imaginative realm. The intricate details and bold lines captivate our attention, hinting at the wonders that lie within. Et in Arcadia Ego, featured in The Savoy No. 8 in 1896, transports us to a mythical paradise where beauty intertwines with melancholy. Through this piece, Beardsley explores themes of mortality and fleeting existence with delicate precision, and is a poignant reminder that even in idyllic landscapes, death lurks beneath the surface. Mrs. Pinchwife emerges from The Savoy No. 8 like a vision from another era—a woman trapped within societal constraints yet exuding an air of defiance through her piercing gaze. Count Valmont stands tall beside her; his enigmatic presence hints at hidden desires and clandestine affairs. The Barons Prayer captures our imagination with its ethereal quality—an otherworldly scene bathed in moonlight where prayers are whispered under starlit skies. This evocative piece leaves us pondering over matters beyond our earthly realm. Beardsley's genius extends beyond illustrations alone; his cover design for Volpone by Ben Jonson is nothing short of breathtaking—a harmonious blend of elegance and intrigue that perfectly encapsulates the essence of Jonson's timeless play. Design for the Prospectus of the Savoy takes us back to where it all began—the birth of The Savoy magazine.