The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 25, 2024

Alarums and Excursions

Alarums and Excursions

1899
(American, 1870–1966)
Sheet: 37.5 x 24.8 cm (14 3/4 x 9 3/4 in.); Image: 27.9 x 17.7 cm (11 x 6 15/16 in.)
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Parrish employs a technique called sgraffito (“to scratch”) on the serpent’s tongue, producing its mottled texture by scraping away the upper layer of paper.

Description

Alarums and Excursions is one of nineteen illustrations the young Maxfield Parrish created for Kenneth Grahame’s The Golden Age, a children’s book published in 1899. In the chapter Alarums accompanies, the narrator persuades a friend to join him in a make-believe of Arthurian legends. Parrish depicted one of the boys in the midst of their playful fantasy, as he prepares to strike an enormous, coiled serpent. Parrish rendered the scene in crisp detail, using flat, delicate washes of monochrome ink, strong linear contours, and scintillating pricks of white gouache on the boy’s chainmail. Parrish’s designs found mainstream success in a variety of print media, making him one of the best-known illustrators of the twentieth century.
  • 1899-?
    (Frederick Keppel & Co., New York, NY.)
    ?-1940
    James C. [1855-1931] and Alice W. [1862-1940] Parmelee, Cleveland, OH, bequest to The Cleveland Museum of Art.
    1940-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH.
  • Grahame, Kenneth. The Golden Age. John Lane Co.: London & New York [printed], 1899. Reproduced: opp. p. 42 and in 1904 edition.
    Ludwig, Coy L.. “From Parlor Print to Museum: The Art of Maxfield Parrish.” Art Journal 25, no. 2 (Winter 1965-1966): 143-146. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 143-144, fig 2.
    Ludwig, Coy L., Diane Casella Hines, Robert Fillie, and James Craig. Maxfield Parrish. New York, NY: Watson-Guptill Publications, 1973. Mentioned: pp. 28-29, 206; Reproduced: p. 32, fig. 20.
    Brandywine River Museum, and Maxfield Parrish. Maxfield Parrish, Master of Make-Believe: An Exhibition, June 1 Through September 2, 1974. 1974. Reproduced: pp. 40-41, no. 105
    Bharucha, Fershid and Rosalie Gomes. Black & White: Being the Early Illustrations of Maxfield Parrish. New York, NY: Thumbtack Books, 1982. Reproduced: p. 85
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: The Museum, 1991. Reproduced: p. 138
    Yount, Sylvia, Mark Bockrath, Serena Rattazzi, Daniel Rosenfeld, and Maxfield Parrish. Maxfield Parrish, 1870-1966. New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1999. Mentioned: p. 54, Reproduced: p. 56
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Diane DeGrazia, and Carter E. Foster. Master Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in association with Rizzoli International Publications, New York, 2000. Mentioned: cat. no. 92, p. 5, pp. 220-221; p. 296
    Dowd, Douglas Bevan, and Stephanie Haboush Plunkett. Stick Figures: Drawing As a Human Practice. St. Louis, Missouri: Spartan Holiday Books, 2018. Reproduced: P. 140' fig. 77
    Montañés-lleras, Susana. “Fairy Tales and Fables: The transformation of illustration in the long 19th century.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 64, no. 1 (2024): 10-11. Reproduced and Mentioned: P. 11.
  • Master Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 27-October 17, 2000); The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NY (May 23-August 19, 2001); Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, TX (October 14, 2001-January 6, 2002).
    Maxfield Parrish: 1870-1966. Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Museum of American Art (June 19-September 26, 1999).
    American Drawings from the Permanent Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 19-July 12, 1998).
    America Draws. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 28, 1984-March 17, 1985).
    Maxfield Parrish, Master of Make-Believe. Brandywine River Museum of Art (organizer) (May 31-September 2, 1974).
    Exhibition of Maxfield Parrish’s drawings for book commissions, including The Golden Age, held at Keppel Gallery, New York, NY (1899).
  • {{cite web|title=Alarums and Excursions|url=false|author=Maxfield Parrish|year=1899|access-date=25 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1940.723