D & S Romance

This compelling illustration is from the Bohemian novel, Romance About the Faithful Friendship of Amis and Amil, a mediaeval narrative set in France which is retold in a modern way by the nineteenth century Czech novelist and poet, Julius Zeyer. Traces of decadence in his neo-romantic writings foreshadowed fin-de-siecle attitudes.

The artwork is by Artuš Scheiner (1863 - 1938), a prolific Bohemian artist and illustrator. He worked as a financial clerk in Prague when he began drawing as a hobby. Scheiner was completely self-taught. Soon magazines in Austria, Germany, and Hungary published his drawings. From 1897, he began publishing in various Czech magazines, and 1902 saw the release of his first book of fairy tale illustrations. His work is little known in the English-speaking world.