George Percy Jacomb-Hood

An Episode in the Life of the Duke of Alva

George Percy Jacomb-Hood, the late 19th century British painter, illustrator and etcher created this original grisaille painting entitled, "An Episode in the Life of the Duke of Alva" for a novel entitled, My Lady of Orange by the British author, Henry Christopher Bailey (H. C. Bailey), published in 1901 by Longmans, Green, and Company. It is painted on thin board with full margins and signed in the lower left corner with George Percy Jacomb-Hood's characteristic monogramme.

The Duke of Alva (Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, 1508 - 1582), is best remembered for his tyrannical government of the Netherlands from 1567 to 1573. Appointed by King Philip II of Spain, the Duke of Alva was sent to Holland to squash those who had revolted against Spanish rule. Blessed by the Pope and with the full authority of the Inquisition Alva carried out his objectives with both cruelty and swiftness.

Original Grisaille Painting by the British artist, George Percy Jacomb-Hood.

An Episode in the Life of the Duke of Alva

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Title:	An Episode in the Life of the Duke of Alva
Artist:	Jacomb-Hood, George Percy (Redhill, Surrey, 1857 - Chelsea, 1929)
Date:	c. 1900 - 1901
Medium:	Original Grisaille Painting
Note:	George Percy Jacomb-Hood: A major English painter, illustrator and etcher, George Percy Jacomb-Hood (also spelt, 'Jacombe-Hood') first studied at the Slade School of Art, London, under both Alphonse Legros and Edward Poynter. He then concluded his studies under J. P. Laurens, in Paris. G. P. Jacomb-Hood began exhibiting his paintings at the Royal Academy, London, as early as 1879. During the following decades he also exhibited his art at the Grosvenor Gallery, the Paris Salon and the Royal Society of British Artists. He was a founding member of the New English Art Club and the Society of Portrait Painters and a full member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters and the Royal Society of British Artists. In 1911, King George V selected George Percy Jacomb-Hood as his official artist for his visit to India. In the following year he was also awarded the Victoria Order of Merit.
	Today the paintings, drawings and etchings of George Percy Jacomb-Hood are found in the following collections; the Bristol Art Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery, Victoria Hall, Calcutta, India, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the National Portrait Gallery, London, de Young Museum, San Francisco, and the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
	George Percy Jacomb-Hood was equally adept as a painter of portraits, mythological subjects, genre scenes and figure studies. These talents kept him regularly employed as a leading illustrator. In this capacity he was frequently commissioned by major illustrated journals, particularly The Graphic and the Illustrated London News. More importantly he illustrated a number of great turn-of-the-century books. These include, P. G. Hamerton's, Paris in Old and Present Times (1885), Andrew Lang's, Auccassin and Nicolette (1887), The Blue Fairy Book (1889) and The History of Whittington and other Stories (1904), J. M. Strachey's Nursery Lyrics (1893) and Oscar Wilde's, The Happy Prince and other Tales (1888).
	At the turn of the century, George Percy Jacomb-Hood was commissioned to illustrate two historical romance novels which both had as their settings 16th century Holland during the turbulent era of the Inquisition. These novels were H. C. Bailey's, My Lady of Orange and H. Rider Haggard's, Lisbeth, A Tale of the Dutch. Both books were published by Longmans, Green & Co. in London in 1901. It is likely that this original grisaille painting was meant as an illustration for My Lady of Orange, as this novel deals with a fictional Englishman who joins William of Orange in opposing the Duke of Alva. The Duke of Alva (Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, 1508 - 1582), of course, is regrettably not a fictional character. He is best remembered for his tyrannical government of the Netherlands from 1567 to 1573. Appointed by King Philip II of Spain, the Duke of Alva was sent to Holland to squash those who had revolted against Spanish rule. Blessed by the Pope and with the full authority of the Inquisition Alva carried out his objectives with both cruelty and swiftness. In fact he once boasted that during his six year reign he had executed over 18,000 men. Obviously these were most dangerous times. Thus the person in this painting is probably an escaping noble who wears the cloak as a disguise.
	An Episode in the Life of the Duke of Alva clearly shows George Jacomb-Hood's gifts as a historical painter and illustrator. Using the demanding gray monochrome medium of grisaille painting he has created a brilliant image of strong tonal values and of light and shade. The original art gallery sticker for this important painting has been preserved and accompanies this work of art.
	George Percy Jacomb Hood's original grisaille painting entitled, An Episode in the Life of the Duke of Alva was created for a novel entitled, My Lady of Orange by the English author, Henry Christopher Bailey (1878-1961) published in 1901 by Longmans, Green, and Co., containing eight illustrated plates. According to the Rue Morgue Press and other sources, My Lady of Orange was H. C. Bailey's first novel, published while he was still a student at Oxford. Although Bailey authored many books and was a prolific writer in many fields throughout his career, such as Karl of Erbach (1903), The Lonely Lady (1911), The Young Lovers (1917) and many others, he was most famous for his mystery and detective stories such as Mr. Fortune's Practice (1920), Mr. Fortune Speaking (1929, The Wrong Man (1944), Honour Among Thieves (1947). These latter included his famous characters, Mr. Reggie Fortune, a doctor turned detective and Joshua Clunk a course, Hymn-quoting attorney, which Baley included in many other detective novels.
Size:	12 3/8 X 9 5/8 (Sizes in inches are approximate, height preceding width of plate-mark or image.)
	Framed and Matted with 100% Archival Materials
	View larger Framed Image

Buy Now	Price: $1,395.00 US
Condition:	Painted on thin board and with full margins. Signed in the lower left corner with Jacomb-Hood's characteristic monogramme. Containing several faint scuff marks along the upper margin else in very good condition throughout without a sign of fading or discolouration. An Episode in the Life of the Duke of Alva stands as a prime, original example of the famous art of G. P. Jacomb-Hood.
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