The Room of Fruits

Dulac, Edmund, French-British artist (1882-1953). The room of fruits prepared for Abu-l-Hasan.

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An original illustration for "The Sleeper Awakened" in Hodder and Stoughton's 1914 edition of "Sinbad the Sailor and Other Stories from the Arabian Nights". The magnificent drawing shows a splendid palacial room in which seven beautiful girls in rich dress sit or recline among cushions, presenting bowls and basketfuls of fruit.

Writing of Dulac in 1916, Martin Birnbaum remarked: "Persian Miniatures especially have fascinated him, and it will be noticed that he has discarded all attempts at modelling by means of shading, and has wisely adopted the Eastern convention of flat colours". The present study admirably illustrates this transition, showcasing Dulac's talent at filling large spaces with intricate repeating ornaments in the oriental style.

Exhibited:

Leicester Galleries, London November-December 1915, Exhibition of Water-Colour Drawings Illustrating "The Arabian Nights" and the Queen of Roumania's Fairy Tales, by Edmund Dulac, no. 13 (with labels verso).

Sheffield City Art Galleries, November 1982 - May 1983, item no. 25 (with label verso).

Dulwich Picture Galleries, 28 November 2007 - 17 February 2008, no. 117 (with label verso). - Born in Toulouse, Edmund (Edmond) Dulac had trained as a lawyer before studying art at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He moved to London in 1905 and received his first commission to illustrate the novels of the Brontë Sisters. During World War I, Dulac produced relief books. After the war, the deluxe children's book market shrank, and he turned to magazine illustrations.