Marius Goring as Mathias in The Bells, Vaudeville Theatre

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Marius Goring as Mathias in The Bells, Vaudeville Theatre

William Hewison (1925-2002)

Price

£650

Signed

Signed, inscribed with title and 'Punch 31 Jan issue' and dated '24 Jan 1968'

Medium

Ink and watercolour

Dimensions

10 ½ x 14 ½ inches

Provenance

The Estate of Michael Bateman

Illustrated

Punch, 31 January 1968, page 170

Exhibited

'The Illustrators: The British Art of Illustration 1807-2026' Chris Beetles Gallery, London, November 2026-January 2027, no 180

The Bells was a French play in three acts written in
1867 by Erckmann-Chatrian and first translated into
English in 1871 by Leopold David Lewis. It opened on
25 November 1871 at the Lyceum and ran initially for
151 performances with Henry Irving in the role of
Mathias. The Bells opened at the Vaudeville Theatre
on the Strand on 24 January 1968, a limited run until
3 February 1968 with Marius Goring, best known for
his performances in A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
and The Red Shoes (1948), in the lead role.