British artist and illustrator (1867-1939) best known for his Art Nouveau-influenced illustrations. Marvelous original ink-and-watercolor painting accomplished by Arthur Rackham on 9 x 14.5 artist's board, produced as an illustration for an edition of Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle, signed in the lower right in ink, "Arthur Rackham '05." In Washington Irving's famous tale, the hen-pecked Rip Van Winkle wanders into the Catskills and there meets a dwarfish and strangely costumed man whom he helps to carry a keg of liquor. They go into the mountains and arrive at a silent gathering of other strange men playing nine-pins. Rip nips from the keg, falls into a deep slumber, and awakens 20 years later with a full beard and white hair. He returns to his village to find his termagant wife deceased, his daughter married and with children of her own, and the whole country changed. Rip goes on to a happy old age.
Rackham created 51 paintings to illustrate this edition of Irving's famous story. This striking watercolor is the most important illustration in the book, depicting, as it does, the major turning point in the narrative: a youthful Rip stands in the foreground, head thrown back, drinking from a flagon. A tapped keg, goblets, mugs, and jugs litter the ground behind him. Further back, eleven peculiar and scowling men loiter in four groups; two of the men hold nine-pin balls. In the book, this painting is captioned: 'He even ventured to taste the beverage, which he found had much of the flavour of excellent Hollands.' In fine condition, with light edge wear and soiling.
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