Item #69975 A poster / print of a of a painting of Aleister Crowley by Leon Engers Kennedy. Aleister CROWLEY.

A poster / print of a of a painting of Aleister Crowley by Leon Engers Kennedy.

Thame, England: Mandrake Press Limited, 1992. First Edition Thus. A large 25 x 16 inches unframed full colour print of this famous portrait of Aleister Crowley "The Master Therion" by Leon Engers Kennedy. The picture was reproduced as an illustration for "The Equinox Vol. III, No 1" (1919) and the original oil-painting is now in the National Portrait Gallery in London. The poster is from the collection of Oliver Marlow Wilkinson (1915-1999) dramatist, author, educator and raconteur. Oliver was the son of Louis Umfreville Wilkinson (1881-1966) an English man-of-letters who was a good friend of Aleister Crowley's. The two had an extensive correspondence, and Crowley respected Louis's literary skills to the extent that he engaged him to prepare a popular edition of Crowley commentaries on "Liber AL." Crowley also made Louis one of his executors, and it was Louis Wilkinson who caused some uproar amongst the more excitable members of the press by reading from Crowley's "Hymn to Pan" and other of his works at the Beast's funeral. Louis's son Oliver also knew Crowley well; indeed he was the one that found Crowley the rooms at Netherwood that became his final home and Crowley, along with John Cowper Powys, is said to have jointly shared the honour of being Oliver's godfather. Oliver Wilkinson inherited many of the Crowley books and papers that had belonged to his father Louis, including a number of signed and inscribed items, etc. etc. In the 1980s Oliver refreshed his interest in Crowley, meeting with a number of contemporary Crowley afficiandos including Hymenaeus Beta, Clive Harper, Tony Naylor of the Mandrake Press, Keith Richmond, Martin P. Starr, et al. At Tony Naylor's urging he also wrote an Introduction to a new edition of his father's book "Seven Friends" (which included a chapter-long reminiscense of Crowley) which Naylor published under his Mandrake Press Ltd. imprint in 1992. Naylor gave Oliver a number of Mandrake publications, including this poster. Oliver Marlow died in 1999, and in 2021 Weiser Antiquarian books acquired the remains of Oliver's Crowley collection, which comprised some of the books and pieces of ephemera that had belonged to his father, as well as books and this poster. A small posthumous book-label, tipped in at the rear, identifies it as having come from his collection. Unfortunately the poster is in rather poor condition. There are heavy creases from it having been folded, there are a few large discolored spots, and a number of chips and tears around the edges. Sold "as is." Item #69975

Sold

See all items by