Van Gogh, Sunflowers

Held inside the original binding were two William Shakespeare volumes: The Whole Contention between the two Famous Houses, Lancaster and Yorke and Pericles, Prince of Tyre, both printed in 1619. The Whole Contention is now considered to be a corrupt version of Parts 2 and 3 of Henry VI, one of Shakespeare’s most celebrated works. Together, the texts are known as “Pavier quartos,” after London publishers Thomas Pavier and William Jaggard, who published these and several other unauthorized versions of Shakespeare’s plays. The three Henry VI plays, along with Richard III, make up Shakespeare’s first historical tetralogy, which covers the entire Wars of the Roses saga from the death of Henry V in 1422 to the rise to power of Henry VII in 1485.

This design comes to us from the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC. The museum is an international centre for Shakespeare scholarship and regularly hosts workshops, theatrical performances, and family programs. We are honoured to bring to life this beautiful and unique War of the Roses design from the museum’s unparalleled collection.

Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) was one of the most influential artists in the history of Western art. Reproduced here alongside his Sunflowers (1889) painting is a page from one of his letters to his brother, Theo. We are honoured to partner with the Van Gogh Museum on this special Embellished Manuscripts Collection release.