Edward Julius Detmold

Cockerel

23.5 x 28 inches

A magnificent, large scale etching of a Cockerel or Rooster; published in London in 1901.

Edward Julius Detmold and his twin brother Charles were, somewhat surprisingly, born in Putney in 1883. From an early age they displayed a prodigious artistic talent and by the age of 13 they were exhibiting at the Royal Academy in London. Their particular expertise lay in the field of book illustration, a genre in which they flourished. They were soon commissioned to produce illustrations for Kipling's Jungle Book and Aesop's Fables amongst many other classics from the era. Their inspiration came from Japanese art and printmaking but also from the intricate etching ability of Albrecht Durer and the romanticism of the Art Nouveau movement. Their work displays qualities of all three; combined to produce a unique illustrative oeuvre. In 1898 the Detmold brothers produced a collection of animals and birds in the Japanese style and this imposing cockerel dates from this very creative period; printed a couple of years later in 1901. At the height of his career Detmold was feted by the leading artists of the day and people like Burne Jones were quick to praise his work. Sadly, the latter half of his life was not so gilded and, with failing eyesight, increasing depression and a move from London to Wales, Detmold shot himself in the chest in 1957.