Willy Pogany Collection at Spirit of the Ages

Willy Pogány Collection

Here, we present a selection of the more than 100 antique and vintage images from Willy Pogány's contributions to

titles including:

Faust (1908);
Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám (1909);
Tannhäuser (1911);
Parsifal (1912);
Lohengrin (1913);
The Kasidah of Haji Abdu El-Yezdi; and
The Light of Asia: or, The Great Renunciation (Mahâbhinishkramana) being The Life and Teaching of Gautama (1932);
The Song Celestial; or, Bhagavad-Gîtâ (From the Mahâbhârata) (1934);
Sonnets from the Portuguese; and
The Golden Cockerel.


One of 31 colour images	One of many monotone images	One of 16 colour images
Faust (1908)		Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám (1909)


One of many colour images	One of many multitone images	One of many monotone lithographs
Tannhäuser (1911)


One of many colour images	One of many multitone images	One of many 4-colour lithographs	One of many duotone images	One of many monotone images
Parsifal (1912)


One of many colour images	One of many multitone images	One of many 4-colour lithographs	One of many duotone images	One of many monotone images
Lohengrin (1913)

One of 12 monotone images

One of 18 monotone images

One of 8 colour images

One of many monotone images

The Kasidah of Haji

Abdu ElYezdi

The Light of Asia (1932)

The Song Celestial (1934)

Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám


One of 8 colour images	One of many monotone images	One of many colour images	One of many monotone images	One of many monotone images
Sonnets from the Portuguese		The Golden Cockerel		Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám

As enthusiasts, while preparing these illustrations in the largest size possible, we appreciate the desirability of replicating

the line, form, colour and finish of these wonderful images just as they would have appeared to Pogány. To that end,

throughout the page that follows, we have shown images optimised for reproduction in larger formats - usually in a

manner pleasing for 10 x 13" or 10 x 15" framing options. We consider those formats identified to be the largest that

allows the accurate reproduction of form, line and colour as prepared by Pogány and originally printed in the 1st Edition

plates. To reproduce the images, we have utilised a high definition capture and reproduction technique and ensure that

the prints are displayed with a satin finish that reproduces the visual appearance of the original plates.

Purchasing one, or more, of those reproductions is a simple as clicking on the "Add to Cart" buttons and following the

prompts provided for PayPal purchase.

We have also developed a range of Giftware that includes images reproduced on cards, infants' clothing, T-shirts and

unmatted, matted or framed prints (8x6", 10x8", 12x10", 15x10" and 30 x 20" images sizes). Pricing starts at US$4 for single

Gift Cards (US$18 for select packs of 6) and 10 x 8" prints (double-matted and framed) begin at US$60. Further details

on those reproduction images are available at the Giftware section of this site.

Should you wish to discuss an order, please contact us at ThePeople@SpiritoftheAges.com referencing your request

with the Stock Code of the plate, or plates in question and a brief description.

In the meantime, enjoy browsing our selection of genuine vintage and antique plates.

Willy Pogány

Willy Pogány(1882-1955) was another of the artists identified with the Golden Age of Illustration. He was a prolific

contributor to both childrens' and adult books - providing illustrations to over 100 titles. His Art Nouveau

influenced work is simply stunning.

Departing from his native Hungary, Pogány lived in London for 10 years from 1906 - illustrating a number of books

during that time, including Faust (1908) and the most elaborate of his numerous interpretations of Rubáiyát of Omar

Khayyám (1909). That 1909 version of Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám included calligraphy throughout and profuse

sumptuous decoration in addition to the colour tipped-in plates.

Prior to his emigration to the United States of America in 1914, Pogány also completed what are considered to be

his masterpieces, with contributions to Wagner's Tannhäuser (1911), Parsifal (1912) and Lohengrin (1913).

Fabulous work followed his relocation to the United States of America, including his magnificent monotone work for

The Kasidah of Haji Abdu El-Yezdi (1931) and The Light of Asia; or, The Great Renunciation (Mahâbhinishkramana) being

The Life and Teaching of Gautama (1932).

Faust (1908)

A rare copy of Geothe's Faust - illustrated by Willy Pogány - produced by Hutchinson & Co. (London) in 1908. The copy held in the Collection is one of a limited number of the 1st Edition that includes 31 colour plates by Pogány (typically, 30 plates only were included).

To the left, we show a copy with the original

decoratively blind- and gilt-stamped red cloth

cover.

On the right, we show Pogány's

elaborately decorated title page

to Hayward's translation

of Faust.

Legends related to the life of a medieval character known as Dr Faustus are thought to have formed the basis of Goethe's Faust.

The first history of that character was published in 1587 and it is thought he lived some time before the mid-1500s. Reference is

made in the Foreward to Faust by Roger Ingpen of a citation relating to Dr Faust in a history of the Thirty Years War thus:

... when the enemy entered Saxony, a detachment found quarters at Breda, a village on the Elbe. The

commander was speedily informed by the magistrate of the village that he was occupying the identical

house in which Faust had met his horrible death, and that the walls were still besprinkled with his blood.

On confronting this ghastly evidence, the soldiers stood for awhile aghast, and then fled from the place

in horror.

Goethe's Faust has been translated into English many times, with the earliest version though to be that published anonymously

in 1821. The famous English poet, Shelley, also attempted a translation, but his work remained unfinished due to his untimely

death in 1822. The version completed by Abraham Hayward was first published privately in 1831 and two years later, commercially

through Moxon. Enlarged editions followed and the success of his translation gave Hayward an assured position in society and

consequently, he became a regular contributor to the leading reviews, including The Edinburgh Review.

In his Foreward to Faust, Ingpen provides the following comments on Pogány's illustrative treatment of Goethe's work:

His pictures, like the great drama they illustrate, are to a great extent emblematical; his schemes of colour reflect

the particular emotional atmosphere of the scenes they represent, and a subtle meaning appears to be suggested

by the merest details. Mr Pogány's pictures reveal a deeper symbolism than has not been reached by others who

have attempted to illustrate Faust. That picture of Faust and Marguerite in the Garden, with its delicate evening

mist, is a true lover's dream. Again, turn to Faust and Marguerite in the Summer-house, and note the gay

joyousness of the colour; note also the sunlight through the trees in the scene Under the Lime Tree, and the cold

blue tone of despair in the last illustration - all veritable colour-poems. Although Pogány is thoroughly familiar

with the Faust legend, and all that concerns it, he has viewed the subject with the eyes of one making a venture

into a new land of promise, and this may account for the freshness and originality of his compositions.

Faust and Margaret in the Garden

(Frontispiece)

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 1

Prologue for the Theatre

Prologue in Heaven

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 2

Night

Faust and the Spirit of the Earth

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 3

Before the Gate

Before the Gate

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 4

Before the Gate

Under the Lime Tree

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 5

Before the Gate

Faust, Wagner and the Poodle

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 6

Faust's Study

Mephistopheles appears to Faust in his Study

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 7

Faust's Study - Scene with the Student

Mephistopheles and the Student

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 8

Cellar in Leipzig

In Auerbach's Cellar

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 9

Witch's Kitchen

Faust and the Magic Mirror

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 10

Witch's Kitchen

The Witch's Kitchen

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 11

Witch's Kitchen

Faust drinks the Magic Potion

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 12

The Street

Faust meets Margaret in the Street

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 13

Evening

Margaret adorns herself with the Jewels

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 14

The Neighbour's House

Mephistopheles in the Neighbour's House

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 15

A Summer-House

Faust and Margaret in the Summer-House

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 16

Forest and Cavern

Faust and Mephistopheles in the Cavern

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 17

Margaret's Room

Margaret at the Spinning Wheel

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 18

Martha's Garden

Faust and Margaret in Martha's Garden

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 19

At the Well

Margaret at the Well

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 20

Zwinger

Margaret supplicating the Mater Dolorosa

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 21

Night: Street before Margaret's Door

Faust and Valentine

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 22

Cathedral

The Evil Spirit tempting Margaret

in the Cathedral

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 23

May-Day Night

Witches descending the Brocken

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 24

May-Day Night

The Witch's Revel

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 25

May-Day Night

On the Hartz Mountains

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 26

May-Day Night's Dream, or,

Oberon and Titania's Golden Wedding-Feast

The Young Witch

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 27

May-Day Night's Dream, or,

Oberon and Titania's Golden Wedding-Feast

At Oberon and Titania's Golden Wedding Feast

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 28

Night: A Common

Faust and Mephistopheles on the Common

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 29

Dungeon

Faust visits Margaret in the Dungeon

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 30

Dungeon

Faust disappears with Mephistopheles

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP F 31

Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám (1909)

A rare copy of a 1st Edition of the extraordinarily elaborate Willy Pogány illustrative interpretation of Fitzgerald's translation of Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám as co-published by George G Harrap & Co (London) and Thomas Y Crowell Co. (New York) in 1909.

Despite the noted co-publishing citation, all copies of this 1st Edition were printed by the eminent Lithographers, Vincent Brooks Day & Sons Ltd (London).

To the left, this copy shows the original decoratively

colour and gilt-stamped leather cover - one of a number

of variant bindings identified for the 1st Edition.

On the right, we show the decorative

Title Page designed by Pogány.

On the left, we show an example of the superb calligraphic

approach taken by Pogány with an image from the Half-Title Page.

To the right, we show a further example of Pogány's

exquisite calligraphic rendering of the text throughout this

version of Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám in his depition of the

quotation of James Russell Lowell's tribute to the tale's

translator, Edward Fitzgerald:

These pearls of thought in Persian

gulfs were bred,

Each softly lucent as a rounded moon;

The diver Omár plucked them from

their bed,

Fitzgerald brung them on an English

thread.

Lowell

16 colour images

And as the Cock crew, those who stood before

The Tavern shouted, "Open, then the Door!

You know how little while we have to stay,

And once departed, may return no more".

Provenance: An American Collector

Code: WP ROK 1

Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough,

A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse - and Thou

Beside me singing in the Wilderness -

And Wilderness is Paradise enow.

Provenance: An American Collector

Code: WP ROK 2

Think in this battered Caravanserai

Whose Doorways are alternate Night and Day,

How Sultán after Sultán with his Pomp

Abode his Hour or two, and went his way.

Provenance: An American Collector

Code: WP ROK 3

They say the Lion and the Lizard keep

The Courts where Jamshyd gloried and drank deep:

And Bharám, that great Hunter - the Wild Ass

Stamps o'er his Head, and he lies fast asleep.

Provenance: An American Collector

Code: WP ROK 4

Lo! some we loved, the loveliest and the best

That Time and Fate of all their Vintage prest,

Have drunk their Cup a Round or two before,

And one by one crept silently to Rest.

Provenance: An American Collector

Code: WP ROK 5

Why, all the Saints and Sages who discuss'd

Of the Two worlds so Learnedly, are thrust

Like foolish Prophets forth; their Words to scorn

Are scatter'd, and their Mouths are stopt with Dust.

Provenance: An American Collector

Code: WP ROK 6

Up from Earth's Centre through the Seventh Gate

I rose, and on the Throne of Saturn sate,

And many Knots unravel'd by the Road;

But not the Knot of Human Death and Fate.

Provenance: An American Collector

Code: WP ROK 7

Then to the rolling Heav'n itself I cried,

Asking, "What Lamp had Destiny to guide

Her little Children stumbling in the Dark?"

And "A blind understanding!" Heav'n replied.

Provenance: An American Collector

Code: WP ROK 8

One Moment in Annihilation's Waste,

One Moment, of the Well of Life to taste -

The Stars are setting and the Caravan

Starts for the Dawn of Nothing - Oh, make haste!

Provenance: An American Collector

Code: WP ROK 9

But leave the Wise to wrangle, and with me

The Quarrel of the Universe let be:

And, in some corner of the Hubbub coucht,

Make Game of that which makes as much of Thee.

Provenance: An American Collector

Code: WP ROK 10

'Tis all a Chequer board of Nights and Days

Where Destiny with Men for pieces plays;

Hither and thither moves, and mates, and slays,

And one by one back in the Closet lays.

Provenance: An American Collector

Code: WP ROK 11

Listen again. One Evening at the Close

Of Ramazán, ere the better Moon arose,

In that ole Potter's Shop I stood alone

With the clay Population round in Rows.

Provenance: An American Collector

Code: WP ROK 12

So while the Vessels one by one were speaking,

One spied the little Crescent all were seeking:

And they they jogged each other "Brother! Brother!

Hark to the Porter's Shoulder - knot a-creaking!"

Provenance: An American Collector

Code: WP ROK 13

Alas, that Spring should vanish with the Rose!

That Youth's sweet-scented Manuscript should close!

The Nightingale that in the Branches sang,

Ah, whence, and whither flown again, who knows?

Provenance: An American Collector

Code: WP ROK 14

Ah, Moon of my Delight who know'st no wane,

The Moon of Heaven is rising once again:

How oft hereafter rising shall she look

Through this same Garden after me - in vain!

Provenance: An American Collector

Code: WP ROK 15

Tannhäuser (1911)

A rare copy of the Willy Pogány illustrative interpretation of the E W Rolleston translation of Wagner's Tannhäuser co-produced by G G Harrap and Co. (London) and Thomas Y Crowell & Co. (New York) in 1911.

It is noteworthy that printing credits for the 1st Edition are provided in the following statement to the rear of the title:

The letterpress and line illustrations lithographed by

Vincent Brooks, Day and Sons Ltd. London, the

four-colour plates printed by Henry Stone and

Sons Ltd. Banbury. A.D. MCMXI.

On the left, we show the original decoratively gilt-stamped and coloured light beige cloth cover and to the right, the decoratively stamped rear cover.

Below, we show Pogány's decorative Title Page.

Tannhäuser - as co-published by G G Harrap Co. (London) and Thomas Y Crowell & Co. (New York) in 1911 - presents

Wagner's poem rendered into a poetic narrative form by E W Rolleston.

The lavish treatment of Pogány's version of Wagner's Tannhäuser (1911) is truly masterful. While some have

suggested that Pogány's interpretation of Wagnerian legend may be preferred to that of Rackham, it may also be

claimed that his version of Tannhäuser - with the combination of exquisitely detailed marginal illustrations, mono-, duo-

and multitone images and coloured plates - could well be a precursor to the modern adult graphic novel. While it is difficult

to identify one particular highlight of what is already a masterful production, the monotone Lithographs are noteworthy as

they have been produced to replicate the visual appearance of pencil sketches.

End Papers

Front End Paper (Recto)

Multitone illustration

Code: WP T 1

Multitone illustration

Code: WP T 2

Multitone illustration

Code: WP T 3

Half-Title Page

Half-Title Page (Recto)

Half-Title Page (Recto) - tipped-in plate

Multitone illustration

Code: WP T 4

Multitone illustration

Code: WP T 5

Colour illustration

Code: WP T 6

Title Page

Title Page (Recto)

Contents Page

Multitone illustration

Code: WP T 7

Multitone illustration

Code: WP T 8

Multitone illustration

Code: WP T 9

Contents Page (Recto)

Part 1 - The Hörselberg

Part 1 - The Hörselberg (Lithograph)

Multitone illustration

Code: WP T 10

Multitone illustration

Code: WP T 11

Monotone illustration

Code: WP T 12

Part 1 - The Hörselberg (Recto)

The Hörselberg (Page 1)

The Hörselberg (Page 2)

Monotone illustration

Code: WP T 13

Duotone illustration

Dead are the Gods of Greece this many a day.

Yet near a thousand years ago, when yet

The pagan heart of man seemed but half tamed,

'Tis said that in Thuringian woods, among

The grey crags of the Hörselberg, there dwells

A creature fair and fearful, whom men deem

To be the Goddess of unholy love -

A Goddess one - a Demon now - yet graced

Still with the witchery of womanhood,

And mighty with the spell of the Divine.

Code: WP T 14

Duotone illustration

So there with nymph and faun and bacchanal

And all the embodied Joys of the antique world

Queen Venus hold her shameless court, and lures

The souls of hapless mortals to their doom,

And tho' the sinner taken in her foils

Be lost for ever - tho' the limbs she kisses

Be flung in the end to where the greedy flames

Flicker and whisper on the floors of Hell -

Code: WP T 15

The Hörselberg (Page 3)

The Hörselberg (Page 4)

The Hörselberg (Page 5)

Duotone illustration

Yet ever and anon some child of Man,

Desperate with grief or weary of his life,

Will seek and find her palace in the wood,

And dwell with her, and think himself a God;

Until the mortal sense flag, until

The mortal heart grows cold - and thro' the flowers

Hell gapes to hide for aye his monstrous sin.

Code: WP T 16

Duotone illustration

None knows the boundaries of that evil place.

The forest paths all shun it; many a mile

Out of his way the weary chapman goes

From town to town across the ancient wood

Skirting that haunt of mystery and doom.

The maidens, going to and fro, who bear

Billets of wood upon their shoulders, pass

With quickened steps and with averted eyes,

Fearing they know not what.

Code: WP T 17

Duotone illustration

Code: WP T 18

The Hörselberg (Page 6)

The Hörselberg (Page 7)

The Hörselberg (Page 7) - tipped-in plate

Duootone illustration

Yet some there be,

Maidens or youths, of gentle blood or base,

Roaming in Springtime by the flowery ways,

Lured by a lovelier green across the glade -

Lured by the singing of an unseen bird -

Lured by a white shape flitting thro- the trees -

Who wonder, half unwitting, from the path,

And ne'er are seen again.

Code: WP T 19

Multitone illustration

Code: WP T 20

Colour illustration

Code: WP T 21

Lohengrin (1913)

To the left is shown a rare copy of an early Willy Pogány

illustrative interpretation of Wagner's Lohengrin produced by

G G Harrap and Co. (London) in 1913.

This copy shows the original decoratively blind-stamped

maroon leather cover.

To the right is shown the page acknowledging the printers

to this edition showing the auto-lithographs and off-set

lithographs were produced by Vincent Brooks, Day and

Sons Ltd (London), while the four-colour reproductions

were the work of The Dux Engraving Co Ltd (Glasgow).

The 1913 publication of Pogány's interpretation of Wagner's Lohengrin was the final of a trilogy of masterworks

focused on the Germanic tales. In executing the work, Pogány provided exquisite detail to all manner of illustrations

through the title, including colour images, monotone and marginal illustrations and the delightful four-colour

engravings included in Lohengrin.

Themes of medieval chivalry, erotic love and moral tests are illustrated in a lavish fashion by Pogány with an

outstanding use of iconography, form and colour.

Four-colour illustration

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP L 1

Four-colour illustration

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP L 2

Monotone illustration

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP L 3

Four-colour illustration

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP L 4

Four-colour illustration

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP L 5

Four-colour illustration

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP L 6

Four-colour illustration

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP L 7

Four-colour illustration

Provenance: An English Collector

Code: WP L 8

The Enchantment