Circle Press ~ England
(Ronald King)

The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales Prints
Prologue Texts and Prints folders
Artists' books by Ron King

The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales Prints

Andrew Lambirth, Cooking the Books: "King had long been fascinated by "The Prologue," in which Chaucer for the first time described ordinary, sweaty people on a pilgrimage. The imagery he brought to the task of illustration continues his earlier theme of the mask, but combines it with the symbolism of medieval heraldry and the Church. He raided a book on medieval costume for designs of crosses and fleurs-de-lys, and began to create his own symbols of the book's presences. The results relate more to the period than to the individual personalities of the pilgrims. ... The technique by which King arrived at these powerful designs is collage."

Chaucer
Print from The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales
By Ron King

King begins and ends the Illustrations of the Prologue with the blue and green of his Chaucer image.

$120 (14 x 21"; single sheet. Signed by Ronald King. Artist proof.)
$40 (10.4 x 15.5"; single sheet. Initialed by Ronald King.)

Host
Print from The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales
By Ron King

The large, loud, and merry leader of the group of pilgrims. He mediates the telling of the pilgrims' tales. King chose orange and red as the primary colors for the Host.

$120 (14 x 21"; single sheet. Signed by Ronald King. Artist proof.)
$40 (10.4 x 15.5"; single sheet. Initialed by Ronald King.)

Knight
Print from The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales
By Ron King

The Knight, the first pilgrim to tell a tale, represents the ideal of a medieval Christian man-at-arms. King chose steely grays and black for his colors.

$40 (10.4 x 15.5"; single sheet. Initialed by Ronald King.)
$25 (13 x 9.25" sheet, folded with image on front cover. Hand printed
serigraph.)

Miller
Print from The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales
By Ron King

The Miller is a drinker, loud and bawdy. His colors are orange and blue.

$40 (10.4 x 15.5"; single sheet. Initialed by Ronald King.)

Pardoner
Print from The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales
By Ron King

Andrew Lambirth, Cooking The Books: "The image of the Pardoner had its genesis in a book of tile designs, but, as with each of these potent mask-portraits, the source is thoroughly transformed and made King's own."

$120 (14 x 21"; single sheet. Signed by Ronald King. Artist proof.)
$40 (10.4 x 15.5"; single sheet. Initialed by Ronald King.)

Parson
Print from The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales
By Ron King

The Parson is the devout churchman among the group. His colors are sober - black with strips of blue and purple.

$40 (10.4 x 15.5"; single sheet. Initialed by Ronald King.)

Shipman
Print from The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales
By Ron King

The Shipman is a well traveled sailor - blue and golds are his colors.

$40 (10.4 x 15.5"; single sheet. Initialed by Ronald King.)

Squire
Print from The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales
By Ron King

The Knight's son and apprentice. He is young and romantically fanciful. King chose red and green as the dominate colors for the Squire.

$120 (14 x 21"; single sheet. Signed by Ronald King. Artist proof.)

Wife of Bath
Print from The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales
By Ron King

The Wife of Bath is a well-traveled woman. King's colors and form are
lighter for her - blue and green with a touch of orange and lots of white
space.

$40 (10.4 x 15.5"; single sheet. Initialed by Ronald King.)

Prologue Texts and Prints

When the second edition of the Prologue was printed, a folder with a print
and poem about the pilgrim was created.

Cook XIII
Poem and Print Folder from The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales
Poem by Ron Fisher
Image by Ronald King

10.5 x 15"; one loose print inserted into folded 21" x 15" sheet. Cover
page with print number and name. Poem by Roy Fisher appears on inside left page. Print inserted to lay on inside back cover. Back cover has publication information on bottom left. Print signed and numbered by King.

The Cook gets little description by Chaucer. Fisher gives him seven lines.

     Slow cooking in a world on the move.
     The hours are slow, the pies live a long time;
     cooling and warming, they ride the bacterial dumb-waiter ...

$50

The Franklin IX
Poem and Print Folder from The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales
Poem by Kevin Power
Image by Ronald King

10.5 x 15"; one loose print inserted into folded 21" x 15" sheet. Cover
page with print number and name. Poem printed on inside left page. Print inserted to lay on inside back cover. Back cover has publication information on bottom left. Image signed and numbered by King.

The Franklin is the landowner among the band of merry pilgrims.

to look at men such as these is to hope
the changes will come again. as if
in the dazzle of affluence
the sun will change is angle,
the breath black, the greed blind.

$50