The Host. The Canterbury Tales. New York, 1945.

SZYK, Arthur. The Host [Variant]. The Canterbury Tales. Signed and Dated “Arthur Szyk, N.Y. (19)4 5”. Watercolor and gouache on paper. Sheet size: 7″ x 5 1/2″. Image size: 6 1/4″ x 3″. Very Good condition.

One of Szyk’s most beloved, well remembered works is that of The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, published by The Limited Editions Club in 1946.

The appearance of the Host sets the style for the pilgrim’s tales for he enjoins them to “tell tales and play songs.” In this unpublished variant, he is dressed in an exquisitely detailed majestic gown, reflective of Szyk’s early work in costume design. The pattern of the fabric falls in soft folds and shadows in a trompe l’oeil style. He appears an elegant man, prosperous and full of fine manners. This is in stark contrast to the image ultimately published in The Canterbury Tales, which features that of a more middle class hotelier, well prepared at all times with his ring of keys, his dirk and his generous pitcher of spirits hoisted high above his shoulder.

Excerpt from The Prologue of The Canterbury Tales:

“Great cheer our good Host made us every one,
And straightaway to the supper set us down,
And choicest of his food before us placed;
Strong was the wine and goodly to our taste.
Our Host a seemly man, was fit withal
To be a marshal in a banquet hall,
For he was large, with eyes that brightly shown;
In Cheapside was no fairer burgess known.
Bold of his speech he was, wise and well-taught;
In short, in ways of manhood lacked for naught,
Also he was a gladsome, merry man,
And when the meal was ended he began
To jest and speak of mirth with other things…

But wait — I have bethought me of a way
To give you mirth, and ye shall nothing pay.
Ye go to Canterbury — may God speed you!
With good reward the blessed martyr heed you!
And well I know that, as ye go along
Ye shall tell tales, or turn to play and song…”

Exhibition History: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Palace of the Legion of Honor, December 4, 2010–March 27, 2011.