Wining and Dining
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This theme was suggested and compiled by G.A.Emil, editor of the Edward Gorey website Goreyography
The text from the Battle of the Bottles
A letter to Michael Behrens.
Dear Michael
The battle of the bottles is now in full swing. The Burgundies are for the time being on the defensive but they may well turn the tables on their opponents.
All the same + joking apart your gift of great wines is very noble indeed, and worth not one but half a dozen Xmas cards all better than I can do.
With many thanks
love,
Ted
Description of the illustration:
Drawn on Elgin Ave. stationary. Printed notation at bottom: "230.'Letter to a Friend' (9 3/8 x 7 3/8) 1958, Private collection, London (pen)." Picture of EA facing left, leaning over chair back, observing a battle in progress, a battle of the bottles, all bearing sabres. A row of six Bordeaux styled bottles lunges, with one falling off the tabletop, frowning and spilling contents. Six defending bottles of Burgundian shaped ones to the right, one also falling from the table. An unidentified bottle to the left seems to report the battles progress. Very action oriented.
Excerpt pages from Glyndebourne Festival Programme Book, Tenth ed., 1961, show a description, handwritten by Edward Ardizzone and accompanied by pen and ink drawings.
“Supplementary Wine Notes No. 23A.
June 1960
The Wine Commitee had a splendid day out. We visited Glynbourne + had a tasting of fine wines into the bargain. I am now going to tell you about this day in the hope that you will be interested + not too envious of our good fortune. It was Wednesday 1st June. The weather was perfect. The party, six in all + headed by Robin Darwin our principal, met at Victoria on the 1045 train for Lewes. As the train moved out of the station, a bottle of Champagne was opened for us. I can imagine no better start to a festive day. The Champagne loosened our tongues, wit flowed with its wine and we were all agog to enjoy the delights to come.
On arrival our first task was to taste wine. The wines were all white + there were 14 of them. Alas I have no space to describe them all, but can only give you an idea of their nobility by saying that they ranged from a magnificent Wehlener Sonneuhur Auslese 53 to a great rare Hock -- a Hattenheimer Wisselbrunn Beerenauslese Cabinet of 1949
Then came lunch with that beautiful dish a well cooked saddle of lamb + fine wine to go with it. After lunch our host/took us for a tour back stage. We saw stage hands busy among tall stands of scenery; seamstresses stitching costumes;wigmaking + property makers; narrow passages with/doors off, marked/with the names/of singers; and everywhere one heard snatches of music coming from the many rehearsal rooms. All this made one realize what a complicated business is the production of a season of opera. The tour was followed by a quiet session in the garden
Some of us strolled along the paths between beds of many coloured flowers, or in the green shade by the lake, while others dozed happily in some seat in the sun. At 5:00 P.M we changed into evening clothes. A room was lent to us for this. But better still, there were two bottles of fine Champagne to sweeten the task. The opera of the evening was Bellini's “I Puritani” in which the fine singing of Joan Sutherland + the pretty tuneful music gave us all much pleasure. At dinner during the interval we drank, with a Boeuf Stroganoff, another fine wine. A Chateau La Tour 1950. The Opera over, an easy journey home and we all I'm sure, felt that we had spent a perfect day. Certainly both for music + for wine, it was magnificient.”
Hospital Toast - Drawn on Elgin Ave stationary with a large illustration, to Michael Behrens in the artist's hand "-239- 'Letter to a Friend' (9 x 7 1/4) 1967, London (pen)" noted on the bottom of the page.
“Dear Michael,
Your gift of champagne arrived as a godsend. Thank you very much. It is delicious to drink + has put up my stock with the nurses.
As I have not been ill I had hoped to have been able to get on with some work, but alas I have to keep my legs up + can't really do strokes in this unatural position. I have therefore been confoundedly idle
Yours ever
Ted”
The Wine Show, 2004 Chris Beetles Ltd, Back Cover - Drawn on Elgin Ave stationary with a large illustration, addressed 'to Bill', in the artist's hand
"9th April 58
Dear Bill
Your noble gift of fine wines arrived today. Thank you very much indeed. I will be sending you in the next week or so
a drawing by way of a small return. Please remember me to your wife. We enjoyed having you both to dinner. Catherine sends her regards + thanks to you both
Yours ever
Ted."
Illustrations from “Edward Ardizzone: Sketches For Friends”, by Judy Taylor, 2004, David R. Godine, Boston
Animated Bottles of Wine
Dear Michael,
I adore the young ladies of Ockfen -- Not adolescent and sharp, but deliciously late picked.
Catherine loves them too so we both send you + Felicity our love + thanks for a noble gift
Ted
Self-Portrait with a Good Wine
Dear Michael
What a lovely present. I am now drinking the 1st glass out of the 1st bottle. It is delicious.
Catherine sends both you + Felicity her love + thanks + of course I do too
Ted
Holiday Self-Portrait
Dear Michael,
What a wonderful gift of fine wine. It's undeserved but all the sweeter for that.
We are going to be jolly mean with it and hoard it for special occasions. A thousand thanks + much love to you + Felicity from Catherine + me
Ted
Self-Portrait with Catherine and Fine Wine
Dear Michael
You spoil us. This beautiful wine has brought sunshine into the home and all is harmony Catherine sends you and Felicity her love and thanks and so do I.
Ted
The Picnic
Dear Michael,
As usual you spoil us. The wine is a lovely one and has the scent of flowers and of honey. Catherine and I send you all our love and many thanks
Ted
Heavenly Wine
Dear Michael + Felicity.
A gift from heaven for which many thanks + love from Ted + Catherine
[continued in upper left margin of illustration]
As is well known, the drink of the gods rejuvenates.
The Bacchanalian Feast
Dear Audrey
What a lovely dinner party you gave us. Fine wine fine food + and splendid talk. We enjoyed ourselves so much that I can't resist sending you this highly decorated letter of thanks.
We are in a fever of preparation for France. It's going to be fun. We both send you + Jeremy our love Ted
Illustrations included in Harveys Wine List Second Edition 1962-1963
Preface to the Harveys Wine List Second Edition 1962-1963 by G.A. Emil
Designed and produced by John Lewis, and published by John Harvey and Sons Ltd of Bristol in 1962, the ‘Harveys Wine List Second Edition 1962-1963’, is an 88-page wrapper-bound catalog containing twenty-five in-text drawings created by Ardizzone, with accompanying literary excerpts, quoted as captions, plus four smaller ancillary decorative drawings from the rear cover design.
As far as commercial art goes, these illustrations have become very popular in their own right. There are at least four publications which have since republished these drawings:
'Wine List Decorations 1961-1963' (c.1964), by John Lewis, published by John Harvey & Sons, Ltd. All 25 illustrations plus the four smaller ancillary decorative drawings. This book comes in at least two versions: an attractively-bound gift-worthy edition and a more subdued one celebrating commissioned art works by the four artists, including Ardizzone’s, used in the two wine list publications.
'Daily Telegraph Guide to the Pleasure of Wine' (1972), by Denis Morris, published by Collins. 14 of the original 25 illustrations with accompanying literary excerpts reproduced, and reused to illustrate chapters written by Morris throughout the book.
'The Wine Show' (2004), published by Chris Beetles, Ltd. ‘Ardizzone and the Art of Wine’, an essay by Brian Alderson included. 17 of the original 25 illustrations with accompanying literary excerpts reproduced, along with artwork from four other artists, in a ten-page booklet.
'Edward Ardizzone: Liquor and Literature: Letters to John Lewis' (2018), The Reading Room Press, with preface by Alan Powers. ‘Wine’s Place in an Artist’s Life’ by Warwick Barraclough, a 1962 article is reprinted. 12 of the original illustrations are featured, with correlating letters explaining their origins, in addition to a full-size reproduction of pen and watercolor ‘Wine-tasters at Restalls’, a folded centerfold. A nice closing to the Harveys of Bristol chapter.
After enjoying all of the aforementioned, and re-reading Ardizzone's infamous exposition called the 'The Born Illustrator' (delivered both in person and in print in 1957, and where protracted and heated arguments reportedly ensued), I realized his own illustrations for the Harveys wine list were lovingly being regarded adrift of their original wine list pages, outside of their original context. Could it make a difference? I think it might, but judge for yourself. The following 29 images are from the original Harveys 1962-1963 wine list (some of the images are slightly distorted as they were captured with a handheld camera, to avoid damaging the books binding)
Excerpt from SKETCHES FOR FRIENDS, Chosen and Introduced by Judy Taylor,
2004, David R. Godine, Boston, P.72
Friday the 25th
We catch the boat train - no accidents and an easy get away.
The sea is very rough but our pills work.
Drink much whiskey in the bar and so arrive rather elated but in good order.
Dump our baggage at the hotel. We find that we are all three are to share a room. Then to “The Richmond” where we lay on our dinner. Stroll through the town, feel hungry by 5:30 so find a sailor's bistro and eat a mountain of moules, small and fat in shape, they were delicious.
A splendid dinner, Saucisson - Lobster mayonnaise - roast chicken - salade - Roqueforte and to drink Vin d’Alsace and a Corton 43. To bed pleasantly tired and slept well.
Saturday 26th get up in a leisurely way, stroll around the town looking at the shops aperitifs at the “Tribuneaux” an excellent lunch at the hotel and the Siesta after it. Later David and I bathe and are caught in a tremendous
thunderstorm. Dinner at the “Arcades”
Dinner which included Sole Dieppoise and a Mearsault 45 was rather disappointing.
Sunday the 27th Gastronomically a splendid day. A simple lunch, steak and salade, but with a fine wine Chateux Talbot 29. In the afternoon after a siesta we walk by the cliff path to the Auberge du Vieux Puits and feel that we have earned our dinner which was cooked especially for us by the proprietor while we drank a white Bordeaux as an aperitif. The dinner - Terrine de Canard
Truffle - pigeon au four with petit poix and garlic toast, salade and fruit
and another Splendid wine Richboug 45
Take a taxi back and arrive in time to see a
Magnificent firework display
Monday 28th our last and most active day, shopping in the morning with an amusing interlude in an antique shop. David + Barnett buy various objects and we are treated to Old Calvados by the proprietor and his wife.
The wife told me with such assurance that my snuff would collect in a ball behind my forehead and destroy my wits, that I felt quite alarmed .
The Rognons for lunch were delicious
In the afternoon David and I visit an exhibition in the castle and see some nice 14th century Stone carvings, objects in Ivory and one good early Sickert but badly framed. In the evening we strolled on the front and watched a spectacular sunset. Then dined the Richmond where we had ordered a special meal it being our last in Dieppe.
The menu was - soup of spinach and cream - tournedos with Bearnaise sauce - french beans with sauce Poulette -
Salade - a variety of cheeses - fruit tart with slightly sour cream (delicious) and to drink - Gervey Chamberlin 39 - Pommard 45 and a very old Calvados.
A splendid finish
The End
