'The Rival Monasteries' (1st of a pair)

On the 6th of August 2005 Michael Emett wrote to me as follows:

" I have just been looking at your website related to the work of Frank Hyde and was intrigued to see the piece entitled "The Rival Monasteries", No. 2 of a pair.

I have a framed print by Landeker, Lee & Brown of 28/30 Worship Street, London E.C. dated 1907 and printed in Vienna entitled "The Rival Monasteries". It shows a tug of war in progress between two teams of four monks with many spectators and is presumably No. 1 of the pair. The location/buildings are very similar to the one on your website but not identical; there are subtle differences in the detail.

I was given the work some years ago, in England, by the son of its original owners (who actually had the pair). The other print (of the bowls game) was in very poor condition and I fear was probably thrown out when their house was cleared after their death…"

And in a later email "…The picture is fantastic. Have you ever seen it? In my humble opinion it is a much better composition than the Rival Monasteries bowls game. The facial expressions are brilliant and it conveys a tremendous sense of enjoyment and jollity amongst the monks which is why I loved it from the first time I saw it over forty years ago…"

Mike's gallery is situated 11 km north of York in Western Australia and yesterday (31 Dec. 2005) I made a quick trip there from Perth. He kindly let me take take photos of the lithograph. The photo on the right illustrates part of the gallery-lodgings complex.

Harmsworth Magazine Vol.II 1899 on page 570 published a reproduction of "The Rival Monasteries".