£1,800
Frederick Carter:
The Balance, c.1918
Framed (ref: 3046)
The original woodblock: 3 3/4 x 4 1/2 in. (9.5 x 11.5 cm)
Print: 5 x 5 3/4 in. (12.5 x 14.5 cm)
framed with an original signed print of the same subject
Tags: Frederick Carter plate print woodblock
Provenance: Private Collection
Literature: catalogue in preparation by Richard Grenville Clark.
Proof impressions from Frederick Carter’s blocks are very rare, the few proofs printed during Frederick Carter’s lifetime having been solely for private use or for distribution amongst the artist’s personal friends. This imaginative design was drawn directly onto the prepared wood block by Frederick Carter; the block was then cut and worked in detail by either Carter himself or his assistant, W.M.R. Quick, to produce the finished wood engraving.
Frederick Carter provided no specific explanation regarding the significance of the imagery in this engraving; however, it appears to symbolise the balance between the physical being of a woman and her 'daimon' - the ancient Greek concept of a divine spirit unique to every person which gives that person good luck or bad luck and which may represent their character.
We are grateful to Michael Campbell for assistance.