I consider Edward Sorel (1929 - ) to be one of the greatest caricaturists and illustrators of latter half of the 20th century, and into the 21st century. Additionally, Sorel has always been one of the field’s very best ink-slingers, with work that often has a biting edge to it, conveyed in part by his wonderfully active and juicy ink line. Sorel’s work has appeared in nearly all of the major publications, in addition to the many books that he has illustrated. There have also been a number of books published on Sorel’s work alone. I’m very pleased to offer a wonderful original pen & ink drawing which accompanied "How to Choose a Royal Bride", from the Spring 1971 issue of Horizon magazine. The piece was written by Frederic V. Grunfield, and is subtitled, "From Henry VII to Prince Charles: here are twenty-four male chauvinist questions to ask of any prospect." This piece presents a depiction of a royal bride prospect, being poked and prodded by the king’s men. According to the piece in the magazine, King Henry VIII “…was highly regarded as a judge of both women and horses.”! After the death of his wife, the queen, in 1505, Henry wanted to marry again, but decided to draw of a long list of questions about prospective brides, in an effort to learn all he could about the women. That’s what this exquisite pen and ink illustration represents, with two men taking note of a prospective bride. The pen work in the illustration is mind-bogglingly good in person, with fine and juicy ink line work. And I love the subtle bits that Sorel included, such as the woman showing a little leg. In terms of Edward Sorel's work, it does not get any better than this. Sorel is at his best when the work looks effortless, and that's exactly what he achieved here. The piece is on a board measuring 18"x 12". As is typical of Sorel’s working process, the artwork has some cutting and pasting. You’ll see this in the vast majority of Sorel originals, at least from this period, as he works to combine the best elements into a piece. In this instance, Sorel added a one-inch-wide strip to the left side of the illustration, tying it in beautifully. Boldly initialed in the lower right. The illustration retains its original cover sheet. If you’ve been looking for a vintage original illustration by Edward Sorel, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better one. $600.00 + 19.00 first class shipping.
