The Black Cloak (Mrs. Paul Mellon, Mary Mellon)
Gerald Leslie Brockhurst (1891-1978), etching, 1944, signed and dated bottom right. Reference: Fletcher 81, third state (of 3). In good condition apart from remains of old hinges on margin edges, slight handling folds, unobtrusive scuff and pressure mark, no light staining apparent. Printed on a wove paper with the watermark SASPINA and Coat of Arms. Total edition of 75. 10 x 8, the sheet 12 1/4 x 9 1/2, archival mounting.
A fine impression, and superb example of Brockhurst’s exquisite etching technique.
Mrs. Paul Mellon was a founder of the Pantheon Press; her husband was a founder of the Washington’s National Gallery of Art
Brockhurst was one of the outstanding British artists of the early 20th Century, hugely popular in the ’20’s and early ’30’s. Today he is still renowned for his poignant images of young women and girls (including the famed Adolescence) and several portraits of contemporaries (Rushbury, McBey); to print lovers portraits such as this example show him at his best: a master etcher, and superb draftsman.