KAY RASMUS NIELSEN (DANISH, 1886-1957)

Nielsen, born in Denmark, was the son of two actors. He studied painting in Paris from 1906 to 1911 at the Académie Julian and Académie Colarossi, during which time he began to illustrate contemporary literature. In 1913, Nielsen was commissioned by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch to illustrate In Powder and Crinoline, a compilation of rewritten French fairytales. Nielsen insisted on a four-color printing process, in contrast to the three-color process typically used by his contemporaries.
The present drawing is probably an unpublished design for In Powder and Crinoline, depicting the capture of Prince Souci by the Iron King and his soldiers, an episode from Minon-Minette.