Above: Full view

Above: The artist’s signature

A bright and colorful, new to the market, original gouache on board by the prolific Hungarian artist Willy Pogany. This was created as an interior book plate illustration for an undetermined publication. A feast is laid before the king and his dog in this cleverly rendered original illustration. The verso is notated “pg. 7” with the text “Golden Cocker #3” and an inventory number designating this as a published work. It is boldly signed lower right and nicely matted and framed behind glass.

Above: Full framed view

Above: Frame detail

Above: Unframed view with margin notations

Above: Verso notation

Above: Verso notation

Born in Szeged, Hungary, he became one of the better known and successful illustrators of the Golden Age of Illustration, completing over 100 books. Among them are A Treasury of Verse for Little Children, The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. He is probably best known for pen and ink drawings of mythology subjects geared towards children. He later did covers for “The Metropolitan Magazine” and worked for his friend William Randolph Hearst’s “American Weekly.”

He studied at Budapest Technical University and attended art schools in Munich and Paris before moving to London at age 23. In 1907, he began illustrating children’s books and did a series of annual gift books, special deluxe editions.

He was not a British citizen, and soon after World War I began, he emigrated with his family to New York City and became a permanent resident there. He continued illustrating books and also designed scenery and costumes for the Metropolitan Opera House and mural decorations for public and private residences including that of William Randolph Hearst. For a period he lived in Hollywood and did celebrity portraits and set designs before returning to New York where he died on July 30, 1955.