Maxfield Parrish 1870 - 1966

Private Collection, Walnut Creek, California (sold: Christie's, New York, May 30, 1986, lot 98, illustrated)
Acquired by the present owner from the above sale

New York, Scott & Fowles, An Exhibition of Paintings by Maxfield Parrish, November-December 1925 (probably)

Paul W. Skeeters, Maxfield Parrish, The Early Years, 1893-1930, Secaucus, New Jersey, 1973, p. 267, illustrated in color

This work is in excellent condition. Under UV: there is no apparent inpainting.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Maxfield Parrish began his career as an illustrator at age 25 and quickly realized substantial success in the profession. Parrish's skill and vivid imagination allowed him to work in a multitude of genres including magazine covers, advertisements, posters and book illustrations. Within this diverse oeuvre, Parrish garnered the greatest acclaim for the story illustrations he created for children's books between 1897 and 1925. The exquisitely detailed, whimsical imagery he produced made the words of such American classics as Arabian Nights and Mother Goose come alive, giving his work a lasting appeal that has endured for generations.

The illustrations Parrish executed for The Knave of Hearts are today widely considered his finest achievement in this genre. Originally a play written by Louise Saunders, the wife of Scribner’s magazine editor Maxwell Evarts Perkins, The Knave of Hearts is an adaptation of the beloved Mother Goose nursery rhyme The Queen of Hearts, a stanza of which reads:

The Queen of Hearts

She made some tarts,

    All on a summer's day;

The Knave of Hearts

He stole those tarts,

    And took them clean away.

The King of Hearts

Called for the tarts,

    And beat the knave full sore;

The Knave of Hearts

Brought back the tarts,

    And vowed he'd steal no more.

In her adaptation, Saunders expands the role of the Knave to make him a central, heroic character in the story. Her version offers an explanation of why the Knave stole the tarts: he was helping the potential future queen Lady Violetta, who could only marry the King of Hearts if she proved herself accomplished in the domestic arts. The Knave substituted the perfect tarts baked by his wife for the inedible ones attempted by Violetta.

Parrish knew Saunders socially, as they spent summers together in Cornish, New Hampshire with their families, but his attraction to this tale as subject matter transcended his friendship with the author. Parrish later recalled, “The reason I wanted to illustrate The Knave of Hearts was on the account of the bully opportunity it gives for a very good time making the pictures. Imagination could run riot, bound down by no period, just good fun and all sorts of things” (Sylvia Yount, Maxfield Parrish 1870-1966, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1999, pp. 86-88).

Indeed, it was Parrish himself who encouraged Saunders' husband to publish the play as a children's book and suggested that he provide the accompanying illustrations. The artist’s great enthusiasm for the project is reflected in the 26 illustrations he ultimately rendered over the course of three years. He went so far as to build an intricate model of a castle in his studio so he could more accurately depict its likeness in many of the series' illustrations. The Six Little Ingredients presents a moment at the beginning of Saunders’ tale, during Lady Violetta’s first attempt to bake tarts for the king. Each of the boys holds a jar labeled butter, salt, flour, pepper, cinnamon or milk, allowing for Violetta to take her choice of ingredients as she bakes.

Displaying an extraordinary attention to detail, The Six Little Ingredients not only demonstrates Parrish’s unique style and vivid imagination but also confirms his sophisticated understanding of light, color and compositional design. The work achieves an impressive degree of photographic illusionism, while maintaining an element of playful humor. The surface of the work is a tapestry of rich color that the highly experimental artist achieved by applying numerous layers of transparent glazes to the support. A single light source originating from the doorway illuminates the figures from behind, adding an element of drama to the scene. The publication of The Knave of Hearts in 1925 coincided with a highly publicized exhibition of Parrish’s works at Scott & Fowles gallery in New York, which included the original oil paintings for the book. Every single work sold, helping to make 1925 and 1926 two of the most critically successful and creatively fruitful years of the artist’s career.