Beardsley Savoy Back Cover

Beardsley Savoy Back Cover

The unframed back cover, in portrait orientation, borrows the image from the title-page. It is a line-block reproduction of a pen-and-ink design. The image shows one figure [a Pierrot] riding a winged horse [a Pegasus] in the centre of the page. The horse and figure are facing towards the left; the horse is in profile and the figure is turned to face the viewer. The horse is rearing, with both front legs lifted up into the air. The horse spans the width of the page and is about half of the page height. The horse has a long tail trailing behind. The horse’s mouth is slightly opened and the pointed ears are pulled back. The mane is curled and a few pieces fall forwards toward the eyes. The horse has large wings emerging from the sides of its ribcage. The wings are made up of many feathers of various sizes and are formed like eagle wings, with a smaller section on the bottom half and a larger pointed portion of wing on the top half. Between the wings sits a male figure dressed like a Pierrot or clown. The figure has his upper body turned to face the viewer, with both arms opened wide and lifted up into the air. He is wearing slippers with a bow on the toe, baggy pants that fall just above the ankle, and a baggy shirt that has buttons up the front. The shirt has large ruffles on the sleeve hems and a large ruffle around the figure’s neck, finished with a ruff and flowing, loosely tied bow. He is wearing a white three-cornered hat. The figure has a long whip in his right hand that extends high above him. A feather pen and paint brush extend over his shoulder behind his back, and a banner or pennant flows behind him. To the right of the centre of the horse and figure, just below the right wing tip, is the small text: “A B.” [caps]. A Latin epigraph appears just below the belly of the horse, very small and italicized, which reads: “Ne luppiter quidem omnibus placet” [Not even Jupiter can please everyone].

Aubrey Beardsley

Leonard Smithers

Volume Three: July 1896

Volume Four: August 1896

Volume Five:  September 1896

Volume Six: October 1896

Volume Seven: November 1896

Volume Eight: December 1896

Public Domain
Toronto Metropolitan University Library Archives & Special Collections

Back cover design

4 January 2023, rb

Dublin Core Metadata