James Allen St. John (American, 1872-1957) Tarzan and His Mate, 1947 Oil on board 23 x 19-1/2 inches (58.4 x 49.5 cm) Signed lower left: J. Allen St. John Bears inscription lower left: To Vernell Coriell The Frank Collection of Science Fiction & Fantasy Art PROVENANCE: The artist; Vernell Coriell, acquired from above, 1947; David Winowicz; Acquired by the present owner from the above, 2010. EXHIBITED: University of Maryland Art Gallery, College Park, Maryland, n.d.. J. Allen St. John's 1915 illustrations for Edgar Rice Burroughs for The Return of Tarzan announced the artist as a visionary in the genre of heroic fantasy art. His take on Tarzan would help solidify the importance of the character, and his work with Burroughs would go on to inspire all the Tarzan artists to come, including such noteworthy talents as Hal Foster, Burne Hogarth, Frank Frazetta, Roy Krenkel, and countless others. Tarzan and His Mate mixes St. John's sense of graceful movement with his storytelling of dramatic propulsion to create one of the finest Tarzan offerings to come to market. This piece was created as a private commission for (and inscribed to) the then-President of the Edgar Rice Burroughs Club, Verne (Vernell) Coriell. This work was printed on page 101 of J. Allen St. John: An Illustrated Bibliography by Darrell Richardson, (Mid-America Publishers, 1991) and it was also published as a limited edition print by Russ Cochranas well as appearing as a color plate on page 15 of The Frank Collection: A Showcase of the World's Finest Fantastic Art by Jane Frank (Sterling Pub., 1999). HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved