Aglaia

brockhurstaglaia

Gerald Leslie Brockhurst (1891-1978), Aglaia, etching, 1926, signed in pencil lower right [also signed in reverse in the plate]. Reference: Fletcher 54, ninth state (of 9), from the edition of 106.  In very good condition apart from slight light toning, with wide margins, 5 x 3 1/2, the sheet 11 x 8 1/4 inches, archival window matting.

A fine delicately printed impression, printed in a blackish/grey ink, on an ivory wove paper.

Aglaia was the Greek goddess of beauty, splendour, glory, magnificence and adornment. She was the youngest and most beautiful of the Three Graces, the sisters who typically appear dancing in a circle (the others were Euphrosyne (joy and mirth) and Thalia (bringer of flowers).

Brockhurst would often add a touch of drama to the naming of his etchings and paintings, using such names as Aglaia, Xenia, Melisande, Nedajda. But in this as in many other cases, the model for the work is Brockhurst’s first wife, Anais.

Gerald Leslie 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 and several portraits of contemporaries (Rushbury, McBey); to print lovers portraits such as this example show him at his best, as a master etcher and superb draftsman.