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Jan Pienkowski
'Winter Thing and The Mooncusser’s Daughter' by Jan Pienkowski, 1974

1974

$3,990.79
£2,900
€3,453.13
CA$5,567.35
A$5,647.08
CHF 3,224.64
MX$68,387.94
NOK 37,961.85
SEK 37,835.86
DKK 25,812.42

About the Item

Jan Pienkowski (Polish / British, 1936 – 2022) ‘Winter Thing and The Mooncusser’s Daughter’ Mixed media Signed and dated ‘Jan Pienkowski 74’ (lower left), further signed with initials on a dated label (11.11.74) (on the reverse) 9.1/8 x 6.3/4 in. (23.3 x 17.3 cm.) This is the original illustration for the front cover of Joan Aiken’s book of the two plays ‘Winter Thing and The Mooncusser’s Daughter’. A fine example of the collaboration between master storyteller Joan Aiken and the visionary illustrator Jan Pieńkowski. This 1975 Puffin edition collects two of Aiken’s most evocative musical plays for children, which were commissioned by legendary editor Kaye Webb for the Unicorn Theatre and the Young Vic. The Mooncusser’s Daughter is a high-stakes adventure set against a maritime backdrop. The plot follows the daughter of a surly lighthouse keeper—a "mooncusser" or wrecker—as she battles a gang of criminals to protect a treasure hidden within a sunken wreck. Characteristic of Aiken’s work, the play blends gritty tension with "unbridled make-believe," featuring original music by her son, John Sebastian Aiken. Jan Pieńkowski’s contribution to this volume is centred on the front cover. While he is celebrated for his interior silhouette work in Aiken’s short story collections like A Necklace of Raindrops and the Kate Greenaway-winning The Kingdom Under the Sea, his design here captures the eerie, atmospheric tone essential to Aiken's plays. This has now been presented behind two further mounts behind Perspex with a few scuffs and scratches in a partially limed wood frame.
  • Creator:
    Jan Pienkowski (1936 - 2022, Polish, British)
  • Creation Year:
    1974
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 9.13 in (23.2 cm)Width: 6.75 in (17.15 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    In very good order, the mixed media composition uses a marbled background and painted transparent cell. Pienkowski’s signature is in silver, he has provided a handmade mount, with a few cut lines in the corner.
  • Gallery Location:
    Petworth, GB
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU540318063612

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