RBerman's Loincloths-R-Us :: Newspaper, magazine, album, and other illustrations.

Britannia and Eve, July 1942 story page 4: 'King Louis fighting from a tree'

Artist: Fortunino Matania (All)

10 Comments - 202 Views - 15 Likes

Britannia and Eve, July 1942 story page 4: 'King Louis fighting from a tree' Comic Art

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Very Wearable (Woman's Home Companion, September 1921)

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Britannia and Eve, July 1942 page 21: Riding exercises of the Amazons

Artwork Details

Title:	Britannia and Eve, July 1942 story page 4: 'King Louis fighting from a tree'
Artist:	Fortunino Matania (All)
Media Type:	Mixed Media
Art Type:	Interior Page
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	202
Likes on CAF:	15 16
Comments:	10
Added to Site:	2/22/2025
Comic Art Archive:

Description

This is one of two illustrations I have from this story; see the other one for historical context of this war-themed piece published during the Second World War.

The magazine feature "Old Tales Re-told: A Queen in 'Battledress'" was both written and illustrated by Italian artist Fortunino Matania. The "Queen" in question is Eleanor of Aquitaine, and the "battle" is the Second Crusade (1147-1150) in which the kings of France (Louis VII) and Germany (Conrad III) unsuccessfully attempted to wrest Damascus from Ottoman control. Queen Eleanor came along on the Crusade with a band of women, but they did not participate in battle and are not seen here.

The illustration takes up about half of the fourth page, showing Louis having some trouble during a battle. The handwritten note in the margin says, "Louis, isolated from the rest, had to climb a tree and defend himself by slashing at those who tryed (sic) to reach him."

He awkwardly and ineffectually swings his sword at the attackers. His prospects against a spear and an arrow seem quite dim, so I hope his friends catch up with him soon. Did Matania choose to recall this embarrassing episode as a jab at the French for surrendering to the Axis?

Matania never skimps on details, like the boughs of the tree, the wrinkles in the chain mail, and the pull of gravity on its tails. Matania often uses white highlights; here they accent the clouds and the clothing of the attackers, as well as the shine on the top of King Louis. However the overall style is looser than the tightly rendered characters on the companion piece linked above.

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	R Berman ( 2 ) Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	January 2018
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	UNITED STATES
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Comments on this Artwork

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Lee Harmon
Member Since 2020

1 - Posted on 2/22/2025

This is fantastic! Beautiful work from a true talent. Congratulations on the addition to your collection. Love to view this in person one day.

M L
Member Since 2015

1 - Posted on 2/22/2025

Incredible! Very cool to see this.

Patrick R
Member Since 2017

1 - Posted on 2/22/2025

Beautiful Matania. Congrats RB.

Kavi H
Member Since 2018

1 - Posted on 2/22/2025

very eye catching from the thumbnail view alone, and most impressive details when looking in closely. excellent illustration.

André .
Member Since 2015

1 - Posted on 2/23/2025

What a difference non white paper makes. Lovely.

Miki Annamanthadoo
Member Since 2003

1 - Posted on 2/23/2025

Impressive illustration!

Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 2/23/2025

Seems like a cowardly way to fight by trying to stab people from above! But this is done as a first class illustration with the height extended to get the whole of the scene.

Peter Sullivan
Member Since 2006

1 - Posted on 2/23/2025

Love this artists work. The King does not really deserve to rule if he thinks climbing a tree keeps you out of reach of spears or arrows. Failing arrows and spears, they could just burn the tree down or chop it down.

Rick W
Member Since 2017

1 - Posted on 2/24/2025

Treed like a mountain lion! Amazing illustration!

Tyler T
Member Since 2020

1 - Posted on 2/24/2025

Wonderful piece and very interesting subject matter

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