430 - Attributed to Byam Shaw (attr.), ‘The Blind-folding of Truth - An Allegory’, watercolour, c. 1909, possibly a preliminary study for the tapestry later produced by Morris & Company, with interesting provenance

Attributed to Byam Shaw (attr.), ‘The Blind-folding of Truth - An Allegory’, watercolour, c. 1909, possibly a preliminary study for the tapestry later produced by Morris & Company, with interesting provenance Byam Shaw, 1872 in Madras, British India - 1919 in London, attributed to (attr.) British artist, “The Blindfolding of Truth - An Allegory” depicts a king, accompanied by two clergymen, blindfolding the naked personification of Truth. The onlookers pay no heed to the scene, and the personification of Truth herself is passive and appears unable to defend herself. The work presumably served as a preliminary study for the tapestry later produced by Morris & Company. For these tapestries, artists produced designs which were then enlarged to the desired size, whilst adjustments were made to the motifs. The resulting ‘cartoon’ served as a template for the tapestry weavers. The tapestry based on Shaw’s design was illustrated in the magazine *Studio* in 1910; watercolour on paper, 28 x 31.6 cm, unsigned, with remnants of paper tape on the reverse; frame included Literature: Studio: international art, 48.1910, pp. 142-145. https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.20968#0165Provenance: The watercolour came into the family’s possession in the 1920s through Dr Alfred Haehner. Haehner was a military doctor and, from 1919 to 1924, personal physician to Wilhelm II and his family whilst they were in exile in the Netherlands. According to the family, the watercolour was a gift from Wilhelm. The painting passed into the possession of Ida Schwering, Haehner’s sister, in the 1940s and has remained in the family ever since. According to the family, the watercolour found its way into the German imperial family and subsequently into the family’s possession through Wilhelm II’s close family ties via British relatives. About the artist: John Byam Liston Shaw was a prominent British painter, illustrator and art teacher. Trained at the Royal Academy Schools, he developed a style influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites, characterised by medieval imagery, literature and Symbolism. His paintings are distinguished by their richly detailed, poetic depictions, vibrant colours and a distinctly narrative visual language. In addition to mythological and literary themes, he also explored religious and allegorical motifs. In 1910, together with Rex Vicat Cole, he founded the Byam Shaw and Vicat Cole School of Art in London, thereby also shaping British art education.