The Green Dragon - Arthur Rackham
Archival giclée
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Description
A 1910 fantasy illustration by Arthur Rackham, featuring a dragon emerging from the roots of an ancient tree in a muted, atmospheric style.
Arthur Rackham produced this work in 1910, a period during which he reached the height of his influence as a book illustrator. The composition displays his signature approach to fantasy, where the natural world possesses a distinct, often unsettling, personality. A serpentine dragon, rendered in muted shades of green and grey, emerges from the gnarled roots of an ancient tree. The creature shares the same twisted, organic forms as the surrounding vegetation, suggesting a symbiotic relationship between the beast and its environment.
Rackham utilised a precise pen and ink technique to define the textures of the bark, the dragon's scales, and the rocky terrain. He then applied delicate watercolour washes to build atmosphere. The background features a distant, craggy cliffside topped by a fortress, which adds a sense of scale and narrative mystery to the scene. The sky is filled with soft, grey clouds, contributing to the overall mood of quiet tension.
This piece demonstrates Rackham's ability to create a sense of place that feels both grounded in reality and rooted in folklore. His work from this era often appeared in high-quality gift books, where his ability to balance fine line work with subtle colour palettes made him a favourite among publishers and readers alike. The attention to detail in the root structure and the dragon's anatomy reflects his rigorous training and his observational approach to drawing. By avoiding overly bright colours, he maintained a cohesive, somewhat sombre aesthetic that defined his contribution to early twentieth-century British illustration.
Return policy
Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
The Green Dragon - Arthur Rackham
Artist Biography
Arthur Rackham
He came back to London and got a job as an insurance clerk at the Westminster Fire Office, studying part-time at the Lambeth School of Art. In 1892 he left insurance for the Westminster Budget, where he worked as a reporter and illustrator. The illustration work took over. His watercolour of Winchelsea had already been accepted by the Royal Academy and sold for two guineas when he was twenty-one.
He met the painter Edyth Starkie over a garden fence. She encouraged him to stop imitating other illustrators and follow his own instinct, which ran toward twisted trees, gnarled roots and creatures that lived in the gaps between the real and the imagined. They married in 1903. That same year he illustrated The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, which was reprinted twice and made his name.
His style fused northern European line drawing (Durer, Altdorfer) with Japanese woodblock composition. The trees have faces. The roots have fingers. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens and Rip Van Winkle followed, the latter a turning point in book production: its fifty-one colour plates demonstrated that colour-separated printing could accurately reproduce original artwork.
Guillermo del Toro cited Rackham as an influence on the Faun in Pan's Labyrinth. Brian Froud credited him with sparking an interest in fairy illustration. He worked until the end: his final commission, The Wind in the Willows, was completed in 1939 shortly before his death at seventy-one.
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