Artist:
Nancy Ekholm Burkert
(American, b. 1933)
". . . And There She Made a Poisoned Apple"
Medium: Drybrush watercolor and colored inks on paper
Date: ca. 1972
Dimensions:
12 × 18 in. (30.5 × 45.7 cm)
Accession number: 82.13
Copyright: © Nancy Ekholm Burkert
Label Copy:
Nancy Ekholm Burkert is an illustrator well known for her detailed works of art. Commissioned for an illustrated 1972 version of Snow White, this scene depicts the making of the poisoned apple. The crowded table is the focal point of the illustration, showing the process and recipe for making the toxic fruit while the Queen revels in her success off to the side of the composition. Symbols of death are scattered throughout the illustration, as the skull, bats, spiders, a snuffed-out candle, and images of skeletons create an ominous atmosphere. Burkert won Caldecott Honors for her illustrations of Snow White.
Nancy Ekholm Burkert is an illustrator well known for her detailed works of art. Commissioned for an illustrated 1972 version of Snow White, this scene depicts the making of the poisoned apple. The crowded table is the focal point of the illustration, showing the process and recipe for making the toxic fruit while the Queen revels in her success off to the side of the composition. Symbols of death are scattered throughout the illustration, as the skull, bats, spiders, a snuffed-out candle, and images of skeletons create an ominous atmosphere. Burkert won Caldecott Honors for her illustrations of Snow White.
Curatorial Remarks
An American artist, Nancy Ekholm Burkert is an illustrator well known for her detailed works of art. Her first major commission, in 1961, for James and the Giant Peach, launched her career as a successful artist, but her 1972 illustrations for Hans Christian Anderson’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is perhaps her best-known work.
Burkert’s illustrations highlight her attention to detail, command of shading, and mastery of texture. Commissioned for an illustrated book version of Snow White, this scene depicts the moment when the Evil Queen created the poisoned apple to ensnare Snow White. The crowded table is the focal point of the illustration, showing the process and recipe for making the toxic fruit while the Queen revels in her success off to the side of the composition. Symbols of death are scattered throughout the illustration, with the skull, bats, spiders, a snuffed-out candle, and images of skeletons create an ominous feeling to the scene.
An American artist, Nancy Ekholm Burkert is an illustrator well known for her detailed works of art. Her first major commission, in 1961, for James and the Giant Peach, launched her career as a successful artist, but her 1972 illustrations for Hans Christian Anderson’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is perhaps her best-known work.
Burkert’s illustrations highlight her attention to detail, command of shading, and mastery of texture. Commissioned for an illustrated book version of Snow White, this scene depicts the moment when the Evil Queen created the poisoned apple to ensnare Snow White. The crowded table is the focal point of the illustration, showing the process and recipe for making the toxic fruit while the Queen revels in her success off to the side of the composition. Symbols of death are scattered throughout the illustration, with the skull, bats, spiders, a snuffed-out candle, and images of skeletons create an ominous feeling to the scene.