Decadent Movement Collection

Cover Design to Volpone by Ben Jonson, 1898. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design to Volpone by Ben Jonson, 1898. Cover of an edition of Ben Jonsons comedy play, published by Leonard Smithers

Cover Design for A Book of Fifty Drawings, 1897. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design for A Book of Fifty Drawings, 1897. Beardsleys bizarre sense of humour and fascination with the grotesque meant that his work was deemed too scandalous by many publishers of the period

Arbuscula, 1897. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Arbuscula, 1897. Arbuscula was a celebrated pantomime actress and stage performer of ancient Rome during the 1st century BCE, when most female parts were played by men

Et in Arcadia Ego, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Et in Arcadia Ego, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Beardsley was an admirer of the work of Claude and the title may be a reference to one of his paintings

Mrs. Pinchwife, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Mrs. Pinchwife, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Margery Pinchwife in male dress. Probably intended for an edition of Wycherleys Country Wife. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R

Count Valmont, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Count Valmont, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Proposed titlepage to Les Liaisons Dangereuses, by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

Cover Design for Smithers Catalogue of Rare Books, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design for Smithers Catalogue of Rare Books, 1896. Woman in a floral hat and frilled skirt reading a book on a striped sofa. A pet bird sits on a perch

Headpiece to The Pierrot of the Minute, 1897. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Headpiece to The Pierrot of the Minute, 1897. Illustration for a verse play by Ernest Dowson, published by Leonard Smithers. From " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

The Ascension of St Rose of Lima, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
The Ascension of St Rose of Lima, 1896. The saint ascends to heaven; composition inspired by Durer's The Great Fortune. From The Savoy No. 2'

Atalanta II, 1897. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Atalanta II, 1897. Huntress with greyhound. From " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A. Walker, [The Bodley Head, London, 1948]

The Toilet of Helen, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
The Toilet of Helen, 1895. Before a toilet that shone like the altar of Notre Dame des Victoires, Helen was seated in a little dressing-gown of black and heliotrope

Don Juan, Sganarelle and the Beggar, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Illustration for Molieres " Don Juan". Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

The Mysterious Rose Garden, 1894. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
The Mysterious Rose Garden, 1894. A nude woman and a robed figure with winged boots, a scene supposedly inspired by the Annunciation. From The Yellow Book, Vol. IV

Miss Letty Lind, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Miss Letty Lind, 1895. Portrait of British actress, singer, dancer and acrobat Letty Lind, who appeared in " An Artists Model", a musical by Owen Hall

Cover Design for The Yellow Book, Vol II, 1894. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design for The Yellow Book, Vol II, 1894. A woman wearing a starched dress with bow, a bookcase, and a background of stylised tulips. From " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

Cover Design to Sappho, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design to Sappho, 1895. Lyre motif, illustration for " Sappho: Memoir, Text, Selected Renderings and a Literal Translation", by Henry Thornton Wharton

Comedy-Ballet of Marionettes, I, 1894. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Comedy-Ballet of Marionettes, I, 1894. Woman with a muff, wearing a floor-length dress, accompanied by a dwarf. From The Yellow Book, Vol. II

Black Coffee, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Black Coffee, 1895. A rare depiction of same-sex relationships; two women at a cafe table, one has her hand in the others lap

Les Passades, 1894. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Les Passades, 1894. Two women in evening dress. From the Winter Number of Today...a companion drawing to Night Piece in Vol. I of The Yellow Book

Cover Design to Life and Times of Madame du Barry, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design to Life and Times of Madame du Barry, 1896. The dexter arms, crest, supporters and motto [Boutez en avant, meaning push forward ] are those of the family of Du Barry Ceres...the sinister

Design for the Opening Meeting Invitation Card of the Princes Ladies Golf Club, Mitcham, 1894. Woman golfer in elaborate hat and floor-length dress, with caddy dressed as Pierrot

Ali Baba in the Wood, 1897. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Ali Baba in the Wood, 1897. Illustration for a proposed edition of The Forty Thieves. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A. Walker, [The Bodley Head, London, 1948]

The Repentance of Mrs... 1894. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
The Repentance of Mrs... 1894. A woman kneels in prayer, as others look on knowingly. From The Yellow Book, Vol. IV. A similar subject to The Litany of Mary Magdalen done in his [Beardsley s] earlier

Book-Plate of Olive Custance (Lady Alfred Douglas), 1897. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Book-Plate of Olive Custance (Lady Alfred Douglas), 1897. English poet Olive Custance was a contributor to literary periodical The Yellow Book

Miss Winifred Emery, 1894. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Miss Winifred Emery, 1894. Portrait of British actress and actor-manager Winifred Emery. From The Yellow Book, Vol. IV. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

Aubrey Beardsleys Book-Plate, 1897. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Aubrey Beardsleys Book-Plate, 1897. Nude woman choosing a book from a pile held by a servant. Not used by the artist, but adapted by Mr H. A. Pollitt, (Herbert J. Pollitt)

A large Christmas Card, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
A large Christmas Card, 1895. The Virgin Mary holds the infant Christ who is wearing a Victorian nightshirt. From The Savoy No. I. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

The Comedy of the Rhinegold, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
The Comedy of the Rhinegold, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. The Rhinemaidens....frontispiece, never completed, to an edition of Wagners Opera

Ali Baba, Cover Design for a proposed edition of The Forty Thieves, 1897. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A. Walker, [The Bodley Head, London, 1948]

Cover Design to The Houses of Sin, by Vincent O Sullivan, 1897. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design to The Houses of Sin, by Vincent O Sullivan, 1897. Illustration for a volume of poetry published by Leonard Smithers. From " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

D Albert in Search of his Ideals, 1897. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
D Albert in Search of his Ideals, 1897. Chevalier d Albert, a character from " Mademoiselle de Maupin" by Theophile Gautier. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

Frontispiece to Volpone by Ben Jonson, 1898. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Frontispiece to Volpone by Ben Jonson, 1898. Volpone, a greedy and rich childless Venetian, rubs his hands in front of his riches

Cover Design for the Savoy No 2, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design for the Savoy No 2, 1896. Women looking at hats. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A. Walker, [The Bodley Head, London, 1948]

The Three Musicians, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
The Three Musicians, 1895. A couple in a forest scene. From The Savoy No. I. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A. Walker, [The Bodley Head, London, 1948]

A Footnote, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
A Footnote, 1896. From The Savoy No. 2. A self portrait [of Aubrey Beardsley] in which the artist has fatefully bound himself to the god of Nature

Titlepage Design for The Savoy No. 3, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Titlepage Design for The Savoy No. 3, 1896. Alternative title: Puck on Pegasus....drawing was afterwards adopted by [Leonard] Smithers as one of his trade marks and reproduced...on covers of books

Cover Design for The Savoy No. 5, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design for The Savoy No. 5, 1896. Couple in a garden. At this time the artist [Beardsley] was almost incapacitated by illness, [the tuberculosis that killed him less than two years later]

Isolde, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Isolde, 1895. Isolde, or Iseult, was the female protagonist of a medieval chivalric romance centered on an adulterous love triangle. First published in The Studio for October 1895

Mrs Patrick Campbell, 1894. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Mrs Patrick Campbell, 1894. From the Yellow Book, Vol. I. This harmless, but clever, caricature was greeted with a howl of execration at the time

Cover Design for The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design for The Savoy No. 8, 1896. An androgynous figure in a turban tilts forward on a stool. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

Frontispiece to A Book of Bargains by Vincent O Sullivan, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Frontispiece to A Book of Bargains by Vincent O Sullivan, 1896. Woman sitting at a desk, ...represents an apparition from one of the stories in...a grim little book written in cool, clear prose

Design for the Prospectus of the Savoy, II, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Design for the Prospectus of the Savoy, II, 1895. Winged figure carrying quill pens and a sign. Illustration for " The Savoy" magazine. From " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R

Cover Design for The Savoy No. I, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design for The Savoy No. I, 1895. As originally drawn the amour is making free with a copy of The Yellow Book at his feet, a reference to Beardsleys parting with [publisher] John Lane

Cover Design for The Savoy No. 4, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Cover Design for The Savoy No. 4, 1896. Woman with bunches of grapes on ornate stand. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A. Walker, [The Bodley Head, London, 1948]

Alberich, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
Alberich, from The Savoy No. 8, 1896. Another drawing for Das Rheingold. It has the charm of a Japanese netsuke and reminds one of an earlier drawing

The Fourth Tableau of Das Rheingold, from The Savoy No. 6, 1896. Cover design with Wotan and Loge, illustration for Wagners opera " Das Rheingold"

The Lady with the Rose, 1897. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
The Lady with the Rose, 1897. Included in the Mademoiselle de Maupin Portfolio but possibly not intended as an illustration. " Mademoiselle de Maupin" was a novel by Theophile Gautier

The Three Musicians II, 1895. Creator: Aubrey Beardsley
The Three Musicians II, 1895. A couple in a forest scene. This illustration was omitted from The Savoy No. I. Published in " The Best of Beardsley" edited by R. A

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The decadent movement, epitomized by the mesmerizing works of Aubrey Beardsley, captivated the late 19th-century art world with its provocative and ornate aesthetic. Beardsley's creations pushed boundaries and challenged societal norms through his intricate illustrations. In "Cover Design for A Book of Fifty Drawings, " Beardsley entices viewers with a glimpse into his enigmatic imagination. The delicate lines and sensual figures evoke a sense of mystery and allure, drawing us deeper into his artistic realm. "Arbuscula" transports us to an ethereal dreamscape where fantastical creatures intertwine amidst swirling patterns. This piece showcases Beardsley's ability to merge fantasy with reality, blurring the line between the two in a truly decadent fashion. One cannot help but be drawn to "Et in Arcadia Ego, " featured in The Savoy No. Here, Beardsley explores themes of mortality and beauty as he depicts skeletal figures surrounded by lush foliage, and is a haunting reminder that even paradise holds darkness within. In "Mrs. Pinchwife" and "Count Valmont, " both from The Savoy No. 8, we witness Beardsley's talent for capturing complex characters through minimalistic yet evocative strokes. These portraits exude an air of intrigue while hinting at hidden desires lurking beneath their refined exteriors. "The Barons Prayer" unveils another facet of Beardsley's genius as he delves into religious iconography infused with sensuality. His meticulous attention to detail creates an otherworldly atmosphere that challenges conventional notions of piety. Beardsley's cover design for Ben Jonson's Volpone is nothing short of extraordinary; it encapsulates the essence of this satirical play through its bold composition and striking imagery—a testament to his ability to visually interpret literary works with unparalleled creativity. As seen in the design for the prospectus of The Savoy, Beardsley's artistry extended beyond illustrations.