Jan Pienkowski (Polish / British, 1936 – 2022)
Winter Thing and The Mooncusser’s Daughter
Mixed media
Signed and dated ‘Jan Pienkowski 74’ (lower left), further signed with initials on a dated label (11.11.74) (on the reverse)
9.1/8 x 6.3/4 in. (23.3 x 17.3 cm.)
This is the original illustration for the front cover of Joan Aiken’s book of the two plays ‘Winter Thing and The Mooncusser’s Daughter’.
A fine example of the collaboration between master storyteller Joan Aiken
and the visionary illustrator Jan Pieńkowski. This 1975 Puffin edition collects two of Aiken’s most evocative musical plays for children, which were commissioned by legendary editor Kaye Webb for the Unicorn Theatre and the Young Vic.
The Mooncusser’s Daughter is a high-stakes adventure set against a maritime backdrop. The plot follows the daughter of a surly lighthouse keeper—a "mooncusser" or wrecker—as she battles a gang of criminals to protect a treasure hidden within a sunken wreck. Characteristic of Aiken’s work, the play blends gritty tension with "unbridled make-believe," featuring original music by her son, John Sebastian Aiken.
Jan Pieńkowski’s contribution to this volume is centred on the front cover. While he is celebrated for his interior silhouette work in Aiken’s short story collections like A Necklace of Raindrops and the Kate Greenaway-winning The Kingdom Under the Sea, his design here captures the eerie, atmospheric tone essential to Aiken's plays.
Jan Pienkowski (Polish / British, 1936 – 2022)
Winter Thing and The Mooncusser’s Daughter
Mixed media
Signed and dated ‘Jan Pienkowski 74’ (lower left), further signed with initials on a dated label (11.11.74) (on the reverse)
9.1/8 x 6.3/4 in. (23.3 x 17.3 cm.)
This is the original illustration for the front cover of Joan Aiken’s book of the two plays ‘Winter Thing and The Mooncusser’s Daughter’.
A fine example of the collaboration between master storyteller Joan Aiken
and the visionary illustrator Jan Pieńkowski. This 1975 Puffin edition collects two of Aiken’s most evocative musical plays for children, which were commissioned by legendary editor Kaye Webb for the Unicorn Theatre and the Young Vic.
The Mooncusser’s Daughter is a high-stakes adventure set against a maritime backdrop. The plot follows the daughter of a surly lighthouse keeper—a "mooncusser" or wrecker—as she battles a gang of criminals to protect a treasure hidden within a sunken wreck. Characteristic of Aiken’s work, the play blends gritty tension with "unbridled make-believe," featuring original music by her son, John Sebastian Aiken.
Jan Pieńkowski’s contribution to this volume is centred on the front cover. While he is celebrated for his interior silhouette work in Aiken’s short story collections like A Necklace of Raindrops and the Kate Greenaway-winning The Kingdom Under the Sea, his design here captures the eerie, atmospheric tone essential to Aiken's plays.
