First Meeting:
Fourth Story
The Prince and the Princess
"He was quite free and agreeable and said he had not come to woo the princess, but to hear her wisdom; and he was as pleased with her as she was with him.”
"First Meeting" is now, together with "At the Court" by Christian Birmingham, one of my favourite Fourth Story illustrations.
The princess, titian-haired in green, an adolescent rather than a young adult, is adorable. Her face, her smile, her hairstyle, her gown and slippers... everything about her makes you wish you were the prince, who, an adolescent as well, a dark-haired wanderer in his shirt, wearing a brown knapsack and wellingtons, and darker trousers with braces the colour of his lovely, glossy hair, and that worn shirt of his... Indeed, he is as pleased with her as she is with him. An unafraid lad and a finally smiling princess, and no courtiers around, only a tête-à-tête to be left in peace and have some decent conversation. The background consists only of that scarlet curtain with tassels, tying in to the baroque "all the world's a stage" motif in a lovely way.
Sometimes less is more, and sometimes vice versa. Therefore, I give "First Meeting" and "At the Court" a shared first place.
Dreams:
Fourth Story
The Prince and the Princess
something rushed by like a shadow on the wall, and then horses with flying manes and thin legs, hunters, ladies and gentlemen on horseback, glided by, like shadows on the wall.
“They are only dreams, they are coming to fetch the thoughts of the great people out hunting.”
The dreams are here misty, ethereal, translucent figures that disappear not long after they have appared. They are rendered in cool colours, except for the dream ladies' skirts, which are brightly coloured.
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