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John Taylor Arms
Plumed Serpent, Chichén Itzá

1940

About the Item

A masterful rendering of Kukulkan at the base of the west face of the northern stairway of El Castillo, Chichen Itza. Eching on antique cream laid paper with a partial herladic watermark bearing a fleur-de-lys and a powder horn, 1 7/8 x 2 /12 inches (49 x 64 mm), full margins. Signed, dated, and inscribed "II" in pencil in the lower margin. In excellent condition with archival paper tape tab remnants at the top right and left corners on the verso, and a 3-digit accession number written in pencil in the lower margin on the verso. Likely one of only 16 proof impressions of the second state (of 2), aside from the regular edition of 276. Printed by Charles S. White. Miniature Series #27; Yucatán Series No. 1. [Fletcher 344]. Born in 1887 in Washington DC, John Taylor Arms studied at Princeton University, and ultimately earned a degree in architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1912. With the outbreak of W.W.I, Arms served as an officer in the United States Navy, and it was during this time that he turned his focus to printmaking, having published his first etching in 1919. His first subjects were the Brooklyn Bridge, near the Navy Yard, and it was during his wartime travel that Arms created a series of extraordinarily detailed etchings based on gothic cathedrals and churches he visited in France and Italy (the plate for Guardians of the Spire was created in 1921). He used what was available to him, namely sewing needles and a magnifying glass, to create the incredibly rich and fine detail that his etchings are known for. Upon his return to New York after the war, Arms enjoyed a successful career as a graphic artist, created a series of etchings of American cities, and published Handbook of Print Making and Print Makers (Macmillan, 1934). He served as President of the Society of American Graphic Artists, and in 1933, was made a full member of the National Academy of Design. Arms died in Fairfield, Connecticut in 1953.
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