SITWELL. Bookplate of Osbert & Sacheverell Sitwell by Gino Severini.

SITWELL. A large and handsome bookplate for Osbert & Sacheverell Sitwell, the literary brothers of Edith, by Gino Severini. This example has never been used and is as printed, measuring 10¼ x 7¼ ins. [26 x 18.7 cm]. The actual prnited area is 4¾ x [ 3¼ ins. [12.2 x 8.2 cm]. In the artist’s typical style it shows two Commedia del Arte figures holding a banner with the lettering OSBERT et SACHEVERELL with EX LIBRIS above and SITWELL below.Probably dating from the 1920s the bookplate appears very seldom in books, probably because, like Osbert’s even larger plate by Whistler, it was unsuited to anything smaller than a quarto volume. Interestingly neither of the bookplates is illustrated in The Sitwells and the Arts of the 1920s and 1930s. National Portrait Gallery 1994 although there are several illustrations of Severini’s work in this style. Bookplates are sometimes trimmed within the plate marks which in this case are about an inch clear of the printing. A different bookplate, of more standard size, of Sir Osbert Sitwell appears elsewhere in this category.    feb4/1

Provenance: Given to me by the late Sir Reresby Sitwell in the 1990s when working on a valuation of his library. The absence of use of the bookplates in all but a very few volumes was notable. Sir Osbert did sell off a lot of the large volumes at some point.