Monday, March 23, 2015

BOOKWORM


On the Book Covers


Rarely do the images on the covers of Rafael Sabatini reprints by House of Stratus even match the contents let alone exactly represent them. Some of the choices are bizarre. And why an Armada painting for Sword of Islam when Hounds of God is given what I referred to as a bizarre choice?

I have identified some of the images used on the covers. When the painting is not commonly available I have added it.

Banner of the Bull – Benozzo Gozzoli – Procession of the Three Kings (detail)
Bardelys – Palma Vecchio – Portrait of a Young Woman in Profile 1512/1514


Chivalry – Master of the Female Half-Lengths [Hermitage Museum version] – Concert of Women
Columbus - Eugène Delacroix – Return of Columbus and audience with Ferdinand and Isabella
Fortune’s Fool – Rembrandt - ’Nightwatch’
Gamester – Theodor Rombouts – The Card Players


Gates of Doom – Antonio de Pereda – The Knight’s Dream
Heroic Lives – Lorenzo Lotto – Man with a Golden Paw, ca 1527
HNE 1 – Gerrit van Honthorst – Supper Party, ca 1619
Hounds of God – Arnold Böcklin – The Chapelle


Justice of the Duke – Ambrosius Holbein – Portrait of a Young Man, 1518
King in Prussia - artist unknown - Frederick the Great
Life of Cesare Borgia – Altobello Melone – Cesare Borgia
Lion’s Skin – Cesare Detti – Le Duel des Mignons, 1578


Lost King - Engraved by Meyer Heine after De La Charlerie
Marquis of Carabas - Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse – Battle of Fleurus (1794)


Nuptials of Corbal – Jacques Louis David – The Tennis Court Oath
Romantic Prince – Lorenzo Lotto – Portrait of a Young Gentleman in his Study, ca1527
Saint Martin’s Summer – El Greco [now challenged] – Lady in a Fur Wrap [reversed image on book cover]
Scaramouche - Louis Lejeune - Passage du Rhine Dusseldorf, le 6th Septembre 1795



Scaramouche the Kingmaker – Léon Cogniet - La Garde nationale de Paris part pour l’armée, Septembre 1792



Shame of Motley - Jan Matejko - Stanczyk during a Ball at the Court of Queen Bona after the Loss of Smolensk
Snare - Robert Alexander Hillingford - An Incident in the Peninsular War: Napoleon Entering a City
Strolling Saint – El Greco – St. Dominic in Prayer
Sword of Islam – Hendrik Cornelisz Vroom – Fireships attack the Armada


Tavern Knight – Johannes Vermeer – The Procuress
Torquemada - Pedro Burruguete, c. 1495 - St Dominic Presiding over an Auto de fe.
Trampling of the Lilies – Francois Louis Joseph Watteau – The Departure of the Volunteers, 1790


Venetian Masque - artist not yet identified - Dévouement héroïque de Hyacinthe Michaud, maire de Versailles, Septembre 1792


1 comment:

Michael Ward said...

Always an interesting problem: Find an appropriate cover for a cheap reprint edition, one that looks good and illustrates the story, but doesn't require paying an artist. This is not as easy as one might think, but it can be a lot easier than getting a new one created.