Knight On Horseback II
Knight On Horseback II
Signed Print
Roy Lichtenstein
POA
This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
Intaglio, 1950
Signed Print Edition of 25
H 28cm x W 20cm
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Artwork | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2007 | Sotheby's New York - United States | Knight On Horseback II - Signed Print |
Meaning & Analysis
Roy Lichtenstein is known for his prints and paintings inspired by commercial and popular culture. Although the majority of Lichtenstein’s artworks maintain a certain air of parody, the thematic contents of his earliest prints differ noticeably from his later artistic output.
Knight On Horseback II presents a whimsical take on a knight’s tale. It is a delicate and detailed etching, portraying an armoured knight on horseback. Lichtenstein inserts his medieval hero into a cubist narrative. The knight’s unrealistic proportions are verging on mythical, elevating the print from serious to comedic. The compositional elements here are structurally abstract, while the work’s colour scheme is increasingly expressionist. Knight on Horseback II captures elementary shapes using naturalistic pigments, mirroring the layout of 15th century textiles and tapestries.
The artist employs a particular etching technique referred to as intaglio in this work. This is the same method he later utilised in another historical print titled Indians Pursued By American Dragoons. Rather than using wood as its base, the image here has been carefully engraved onto a metallic surface. The refined incisions containing the ink have been enhanced with an added layer of aquatint. Intaglio produces transitional areas of tone and texture, replacing definite outlines and unmodulated colour fields.
