11th Feb, 2026 11:00
The Estate of John Russell Taylor: Author, Critic, Collector
24
⊕ MERVYN PEAKE (BRITISH 1911-1968)
TITUS ON THE CLIFF
gouache on card; 23 x 33cm; 9 x 13in (44 x 54cm; 17 1/4 x 21 1/4in framed)
A celebrated writer of fantasy novels and a painter-illustrator, Peake's trilogy Titus Groan(1946), Gormenghast (1950), and Titus Alone (1959) were all illustrated by him. This striking work has an unsettling angle and a claustrophobic perspective in which the hero, possibly Titus, climbs the cliff of his castle. The cliffs are reminiscent of the Chinese landscape in which Peake grew up and which is often included in his fantastic imagery.
From his early twenties onwards Peake produced illustrations for a range of magazines and publications, the decade following the end of the Second World War being his greatest period of output. Living on Sark in the Channel Islands from 1946 until 1949 he produced a stream of illustrations to many of the classics, including Treasure Island, The Hunting of the Snark, The Ancient Mariner, Grimm's Household Tales (see lot 314), Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. He was married to the painter Maeve Gilmore (1917-1983).
Sold for £2,800
TITUS ON THE CLIFF
gouache on card; 23 x 33cm; 9 x 13in (44 x 54cm; 17 1/4 x 21 1/4in framed)
A celebrated writer of fantasy novels and a painter-illustrator, Peake's trilogy Titus Groan(1946), Gormenghast (1950), and Titus Alone (1959) were all illustrated by him. This striking work has an unsettling angle and a claustrophobic perspective in which the hero, possibly Titus, climbs the cliff of his castle. The cliffs are reminiscent of the Chinese landscape in which Peake grew up and which is often included in his fantastic imagery.
From his early twenties onwards Peake produced illustrations for a range of magazines and publications, the decade following the end of the Second World War being his greatest period of output. Living on Sark in the Channel Islands from 1946 until 1949 he produced a stream of illustrations to many of the classics, including Treasure Island, The Hunting of the Snark, The Ancient Mariner, Grimm's Household Tales (see lot 314), Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. He was married to the painter Maeve Gilmore (1917-1983).
Auction: The Estate of John Russell Taylor: Author, Critic, Collector, 11th Feb, 2026
Auction Location: London, UK
John Russell Taylor was a compulsive collector. When he died at the age of ninety, his two bedroom flat on the corner of Brook Green was floor to ceiling with books and pictures that he had collected over the last seventy years. A precocious talent he was awarded a scholarship to read English at Cambridge aged 16 and graduated with a starred First Class degree. Film, theatre and art critic for The Times for more than four decades, he wrote thousands of articles and reviews for the newspaper. He also wrote over sixty books – critical studies, biographies, and monographs. He was appointed professor of Film at the University of Southern California during the 1970s, when he was asked by Alfred Hitchcock to write his biography. Hitch remains the standard text on the film director. John's interests ranged across all aspects of the arts from Art Nouveau book illustration to Vorticism, fan paintings, poetry and stage design. Struck by the visual rather than the value of a work of art, the sale of his picture collection gives a flavour of the full gamut of his encyclopaedic mind, a man remembered for his phenomenal range of reference, his extraordinary talent for writing and his warm and generous character.
For a copy of the printed catalogue, email pictures@olympiaauctions.com
PUBLIC EXHIBITION
Friday 6th February: 10am - 5pm
Sunday 8th February: 12pm - 4pm
Monday 9th February: 10am - 8pm (Drinks: 5pm - 8pm)
Tuesday 10th February: 10am - 5pm
View Press Release for more information
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PUBLIC EXHIBITION
Friday 6th February: 10am - 5pm
Sunday 8th February: 12pm - 4pm
Monday 9th February: 10am - 8pm (Drinks: 5pm - 8pm)
Tuesday 10th February: 10am - 5pm
