Original illustration for Monika Beisner's Book of Riddles

1983. Original illustration by prolific German artist-illustrator Monika Beisner for her celebrated word puzzle book for children. This beguiling image offers a visual collage of answers to the rhyming riddles that face the illustration in the book. The ginger cat at center represents the correct solution to the riddle: "My first is in chocolate but not in ham, My second's in cake and also in jam, My third at tea-time is easily found, My whole is a friend who's often around. What am I?" This image reflects the hallmarks of Beisner's mature style: surrealistic imagery featuring animals and landscapes, painted with exquisite detail and the luminescence of early illuminated manuscripts. Beisner first found her visual métier in her collaborations with Alison Lurie, The Heavenly Zoo (1979) and Fabulous Beasts (1981), and perfected her artistry in Book of Riddles. A first edition of the book accompanies this painting, which was exhibited and sold at London's Achim Moeller Gallery in 1983. A wonderful illustration. Watercolor, gouache, and egg tempera on paper, image measuring 8.5 x 8.75 inches, on larger sheet. Initialed in lower right image. Archivally framed to 17 x 14.5 inches. Offered with: Monika Beisner's Book of Riddles. London: Jonathan Cape, (1983).