Figure descriptions
Scene from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. A man (Bassanio) examines three caskets
of gold, silver, and lead, which are
placed on an ornately decorated table. He touches his hand to the cloth that covers
the table, from which fringe and flowers hang.
Ten other people, both men and women, stand around the room. Most of them watch Bassanio,
but three men in the background turn to
each other and appear to converse. A woman (Portia) stands at the forefront of illustration.
Her back is almost fully turned to the
viewer and she holds her hand up to her mouth as she watches Bassanio. In the background,
a large curtain is pulled to the side,
revealing an adjoining room. Beyond the curtain, there is an ornate archway decorated
with two cherubs. Full-page illustration
contained within a single-ruled border.
A portrait of William Shakespeare is contained within an ornate circular frame. “SHAKSPERE”
is centered at the bottom of the
frame. To the left of the frame, a figure with the body of a man and the head of a
donkey sits in grass. A branch with leaves
extends out from either side of the portrait. The hand-drawn title, “WOODS OF WARWICK”,
is placed to the right of the frame. 1/3
page.
Facsimile of Harriet Prescott Spofford’s signature. 1/32 page.
A fairy poses: it holds its legs together and extends its arms straight down while
flexing its palms. The fairy wears a belted
dress with a ruffled collar and jewellery. Its long, curly hair flows up into the
air behind its two antennae. The fairy has flared
wings with multiple layers. 1/16 page.
Rectangular illustration of a waxing crescent moon surrounded by five bats and set
against a dark sky. 1/32 page.
A fairy is shown in profile view. It holds a wand with a star on the end; the fairy
holds its other hand straight up in the
air. It wears a long, loose dress with ribbons around its waist. 1/16 page.
A man walks through a forest carrying a book. There are trees and foliage scattered
throughout the scene. 1/2-page
illustration contained within a single-ruled border.
A bee flies, smiles, and looks directly at the viewer. 1/64 page.
Three flies fly together. 1/64 page.
A fairy flies with a staff or wand held in front of it. The fairy is shown in profile
view. 1/64 page.
A fairy stands in grass with its arms and wings outstretched. There are three insects
flying next to the fairy. The sun or
moon is low in the sky. 1/64 page.
A man sits against the base of a tree and looks towards a group of fairies that fly
beside him. One fairy holds a staff and
another fairy holds a wand. There are flowers and tall grass around the man. 1/2 page.
A man wears a laurel crown and faces the viewer. 1/64 page.
A mask or a beast-like face is centered and facing the viewer. A vegetal and foliate
pattern emerges out from the left and
right side of the face. 1/64 page.
Two young satyrs gather together and hold pan flutes. One satyr sits on the grass
and the other satyr stands with his arm
wrapped around him. The standing satyr gestures toward a fairy that flies low to the
ground and faces them. The fairy gestures back
toward the satyrs and they appear to be in conversation. There is a turtle on the
ground, between the satyrs and the fairy. The
background is filled with trees and foliage. A third, older satyr stands in the bushes.
1/4-page illustration contained within a
single-ruled border.
A body of water is surrounded by trees and foliage. The top towers of a castle can
be seen above the tree line. The waxing
crescent moon is high in the sky. 1/8-page illustration contained within a single-ruled
border.
