"Goodnight Sheep"
: , 1993. Item #04005
“She Snuggles Her Lamb”
Jane Dyer's Original Published Watercolor for Goodnight, Goodnight Sleepyhead
Together with an As-New Copy of the Book
DYER, Jane, artist. KRAUSS, Ruth. Goodnight Sheep. Original illustration for Goodnight, Goodnight Sleepyhead. New York: HarperCollins, 2004.
Original pen, ink and watercolor illustration on paper. Image size 10 1/8 x 12 inches (257 x 305 mm.). Beautifully matted, framed and glazed; frame size 17 7/8 x 19 7/8 inches (454 x 505 mm.). Presented within a cream silk mat bordered with metallic gold and blue ribbons and further decorated with a narrow light-blue ribbon.
Together with an as-new copy of the first Jane Dyer-illustrated edition of the book:
KRAUSS, Ruth. DYER, Jane, illustrator. Goodnight, Goodnight Sleepyhead. New York: Harper Collins, 2004.
First edition with these illustrations. 32 pp. Illustrated throughout in color by Jane Dyer. Publisher's original pictorial binding and dust jacket. As new.
A wonderfully tender original published watercolor by Jane Dyer for Ruth Krauss's Goodnight, Goodnight Sleepyhead, together with an as-new copy of the book in which the illustration appeared.
Against a softly washed pale-green background, a golden-haired toddler sits with eyes closed, lovingly embracing a large white stuffed lamb, while a second, smaller lamb, dressed in lavender-blue, nestles between the child's cheek and shoulder. The child, herself enveloped in a voluminous white nightgown patterned with tiny red circles, seems almost to disappear within the comforting embrace of her soft companions.
The composition is wonderfully simple and intimate. There is no furniture, landscape or narrative background to distract from the central subject. Child and lambs occupy virtually the entire image, their closed eyes and gently inclined heads creating an immediate atmosphere of affection, security and approaching sleep.
Dyer's watercolor technique is particularly delicate. The child's face is modeled with the palest washes of peach and rose; her tousled curls are suggested by loose strokes of yellow and gold. The lambs are rendered largely in white, their woolly texture created through exceptionally subtle touches of watercolor and fine line. Against this restrained palette, the lavender-blue clothing of the smaller lamb and the tiny red circles scattered across the child's nightdress provide beautifully judged accents of color.
The illustration was created for Ruth Krauss's Goodnight, Goodnight Sleepyhead, published by HarperCollins in 2004 with entirely new illustrations by Jane Dyer.
The text itself has a considerably earlier history: Krauss originally published it in 1964 as Eyes Nose Fingers Toes. Forty years later it was given its new title and re-imagined for a new generation through Dyer's watercolors.
The book follows a young child through the familiar rituals preceding sleep as she affectionately bids goodnight to the people, objects and stuffed animals around her. Dyer's illustrations transform Krauss's spare text into a succession of intimate bedtime encounters. Publishers Weekly particularly noted Dyer's “tender touch” and her affectionate watercolors of the toddler and her companions.
The present watercolor illustrates one of the most endearing moments in the book - the child's embrace of her lamb.
Contemporary descriptions of the 2004 edition specifically mention that the toddler “snuggles her lamb”, before continuing her bedtime ritual with her other toys and surroundings.
The image exemplifies Dyer's particular gift for depicting the emotional world of very young children. Her pale washes, generous areas of uncluttered color and almost weightless line create an image which is simultaneously highly finished and wonderfully soft. The oversized format of Dyer's illustrations was also singled out in contemporary reviews, which noted how the pastel backgrounds envelop the reader in the quiet atmosphere of bedtime.
The inclusion of an as-new copy of the 2004 book is especially desirable, allowing the original watercolor to be appreciated alongside its published appearance and placing this exceptionally appealing image firmly within the context for which Dyer created it.
A beautiful and immediately engaging piece of original published children's-book artwork - Jane Dyer at her most characteristic, combining extraordinary delicacy of watercolor with the simple intimacy of a child falling asleep in the arms of a favorite toy.
Price: $1,650.00