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Alarums and Excursions
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<em>Alarums and Excursions</em> is one of nineteen illustrations the young Maxfield Parrish created for Kenneth Grahame’s <em>The Golden Age, </em>a children’s book published in 1899. In the chapter <em>Alarums </em>accompanies, the narrator persuades a friend to join him in a make-believe of Arthurian legends. Parrish depicted one of the boys in the midst of their playful fantasy, as he prepares to strike an enormous, coiled serpent. Parrish rendered the scene in crisp detail, using flat, delicate washes of monochrome ink, strong linear contours, and scintillating pricks of white gouache on the boy’s chainmail. Parrish’s designs found mainstream success in a variety of print media, making him one of the best-known illustrators of the 20th century.
| Artist / Maker | Maxfield Parrish |
|---|---|
| Date | 1899 |
| Culture / Origin | America |
| Medium | brush and black and gray wash, with white gouache, over graphite, framing lines in pen and black ink |
| Dimensions | Image: 27.9 x 17.7 cm (11 x 6 15/16 in.); Sheet: 37.5 x 24.8 cm (14 3/4 x 9 3/4 in.) |
| Department | Drawings |
| Type | Drawing |
About the Artist
Maxfield Parrish (American, 1870–1966) Full biography →
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
A detailed condition report and high-resolution photography are available from our specialists in advance of the sale.
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