Warwick Goble

British, 1862–1943

Warwick Goble (1862–1943) was an English illustrator celebrated for his delicate watercolour illustrations of fairy tales and folklore from around the world. He is best remembered for his sensitive interpretations of Japanese, Indian and Bengali tales — Green Willow and Other Japanese Fairy Tales, Folk-Tales of Bengal and Indian Myth and Legend — as well as English fairy poetry and the Italian Pentamerone. His luminous, decorative style, shaped by the Japanese woodblock print, made him one of the distinctive voices of the golden age of illustration.

39 artworks

A poised figure with feathered wings and a robe dissolving into peacock eyes, set in a muted color palette.

The Moon Maiden (Green Willow)

Warwick Goble

A fairy child with wings perched on a spider's thread, surrounded by delicate greenery.

Puck

Warwick Goble

A dramatic scene featuring a bold figure reaching out and a woman in a red sari recoiling in alarm under a patterned canopy.

The Ordeal of Queen Draupadi

Warwick Goble

A young warrior with a calm expression leads a dog, monkey, and pheasant on a windswept shore.

Momotaro

Warwick Goble

A vibrant bird with an extravagant tail perched above two figures in patterned robes, gazing upward in a serene landscape.

The Singing Bird of Heaven

Warwick Goble

A fairy on a nautilus shell gazes at a stranded fish, while an octopus curls around her in a glowing seascape.

Fairies on the Seashore

Warwick Goble

A blue-skinned figure with a golden halo stands in rejection, while a woman in red collapses in anguish at his feet beneath an ancient tree.

Rama Spurns the Demon Lover

Warwick Goble

A young woman with long hair emerges from a cask, watched by a regal figure in blue and gold, surrounded by a flowering plant.

Cannetella Released from the Cask

Warwick Goble

A young woman in a crimson gown rides a dolphin amidst swirling waters, with a distant castle in the background.

Rita Riding on the Dolphin

Warwick Goble

Sita leans forward, adorned in jewelry and a sari, gazing at Rama's face emerging from a dark pool surrounded by lotuses.

Sita Finds Rama Among Lotus Blooms

Warwick Goble

A golden-haired girl surrounded by animal-faced goblins offering strange fruits in a dark forest.

Goblin Market

Warwick Goble

A woman in pale robes glides through a forest clearing, gently touching a stag's head.

Kilmeny

Warwick Goble

A small figure carries a jewel-toned tapestry through a wild landscape of thistles and poppies, hinting at a daring escape.

Corvetto Escaping with the Ogre's Tapestry

Warwick Goble

Two figures on the sand, one holding a vibrant robe, the other reaching out with a dignified gesture against a mountain backdrop.

The Robe of Feathers

Warwick Goble

A serpent coils gracefully above sleeping children, with a young figure in green poised with a dagger, surrounded by ornate decor.

The Slaying of the Serpent

Warwick Goble

Two figures by a pond with irises and lotus, surrounded by soft greens and lavenders.

Green Willow

Warwick Goble

A large, wild-eyed bird flies over pale temple domes against a dusky sky.

The Monstrous Bird

Warwick Goble

A prince stands poised beside a young woman in a flowered gown, kneeling with a snail in her hands amidst a misty forest.

The Prince and Filadoro with the Snails

Warwick Goble

A richly adorned elephant in a shadowy forest, with a lone figure in orange creeping forward.

The Caparisoned Elephant

Warwick Goble

A young figure seated on the floor gazes upward at a spectral woman emerging from the darkness, illuminated by a lantern.

The Cold Lady

Warwick Goble

A kelpie with a horned helm rides a gray horse, seizing a girl named Jessie amidst a tumultuous sea cave.

The Kelpie of Corrievreckan

Warwick Goble

Three fairies dance in the air among flowers, their delicate wings catching light in a scene of joy and wonder.

The Fairy Revel

Warwick Goble

A jackal waits at marble steps, gazing at women in bright saris above, creating a contrast of nature and architecture.

The Jackal with the Betel-Leaves

Warwick Goble

A radiant child suspended in the air, ringed with golden rays, beneath a brooding sky with a shadowy dragon's face in the clouds.

The Good Thunder

Warwick Goble

A woman reclines beside a girl holding a hand mirror, surrounded by patterned silk and soft light.

The Matsuyama Mirror

Warwick Goble

Two women in flowing robes, one holding a lantern and peonies, surrounded by a dreamlike atmosphere.

The Peony Lantern

Warwick Goble

A woman in flowing robes walks across a bridge of magpies under a starry sky, carrying a glowing lantern.

The Star Lovers

Warwick Goble

A young woman in vivid red steps from a shadowed window onto a patterned rug, surrounded by delicate poppies and daily life objects.

The Girl of the Wall-Almirah

Warwick Goble

Figures in patterned garments glide along a path of petals in a fantastical landscape.

The Sea King and the Magic Jewels

Warwick Goble

A girl and a lizard share a moment on a rocky ledge with a misty palace in the background.

The Lizard Showing Goat-Face the Palace

Warwick Goble

A mermaid with golden hair combs her curls while a sea-snake watches from the edge of a rocky underwater scene.

The Mermaid

Warwick Goble

A young rider on a white horse in an enchanted forest, with a radiant circle of light on his forehead.

The Light upon His Forehead

Warwick Goble

A vibrant scene of peacocks with flowing tails on an embankment, watched by two figures in the shadow of a tree.

The Peacocks on the Embankment

Warwick Goble

A young figure in a blue kimono holds a flute, poised in a serene moment before playing.

The Flute

Warwick Goble

A jeweled nymph rises from the water to meet a princely archer amidst lotus leaves and blossoms.

Arjuna and the River Nymph

Warwick Goble

A central figure in red and gold holds a garland, surrounded by seated suitors and flower petals.

Damayanti Choosing a Husband

Warwick Goble

A luminous goddess Ganga with a halo, adorned in jewels, stands by the water as a man approaches from the forest.

Shantanu Meets the Goddess Ganga

Warwick Goble

A white rat in a golden kimono stands on a rocky outcrop, flanked by two other rats, beneath swirling clouds with a faint human face.

The Espousal of the Rat's Daughter

Warwick Goble

A woman in a patterned gown stands in a rowboat, reaching towards a ship on the horizon, while a man gazes upward in awe.

Vastolla and Peruonto Approaching the Ship

Warwick Goble