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

SZYK, Arthur. The Manciple. The Canterbury Tales. Signed and Dated “Arthur Szyk, N.Y. (19)45”. Watercolor and gouache on paper. Sheet size: 6 3/4” x 5”. Image size: 6 5/8” x 4”. Very Good condition.

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

This minutely detailed painting portrays The Manciple (otherwise known as an inn steward or purveyor) well prepared at all times with his bag, his sword and his flask. The dour expression on his face shows that this is no man to be taken advantage of. He has a price in mind and will not be cheated. The Manciple is dressed in an exquisite colorful and majestic gown, reflective of Szyk’s early work in costume design for the theatre and stage.

Excerpt from The Prologue of The Canterbury Tales:

“There was a Manciple from an inn of court,
And many a buyer might to him resort
To mark a steward’s life the way he led it.
For whether he chose to pay or take on credit,
Always he schemed so well and carefully
That first in stock and well-prepared was he.
Now is not that a gift of God indeed,
That one unlettered man should so exceed
The wisdom of a group of learned men?
For he had masters more than three times ten…”

Exhibition History: M. Knoedler & Company, Inc., New York, August 26–September 13, 1946; The Polish Arts Club, The Butler Institute, Youngstown, Ohio, February 2–23, 1947; The Jewish Museum, New York, October 24–December 4, 1952; Laing Galleries, Toronto, January 9–30, 1954; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Palace of the Legion of Honor, December 4, 2010–March 27, 2011.

Publishing History: The Canterbury Tales. New York: The Limited Editions Club, 1946.