Calligraphic manuscript on vellum, Sonnet 119 'Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments...'

Calligraphic manuscript on vellum. 14 lines in gold, surrounded by floral border in multiple colours. 45 x 32cm. Glazed and in contemporary frame, with original gallery label to reverse.

Frame slightly split at top right corner and chipped at edges, but otherwise bright, clean and well preserved. Three Shields label to rear of frame, with note in pen 'Bought by RSC 1950?'.

Hutton was one of several pioneering young women who opened craft galleries selling ceramics, decorated fabrics, silverware and prints in 1920's London, taking over, as it were, the means of production after a long history of women having been relegated to operating behind the scenes at firms like Morris & Co. Having studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, Hutton was already an established calligrapher by the time that she opened her own gallery, The Three Shields in Holland Street, in 1922, from which she sold her elaborately illuminated calligraphic manuscripts.

She was also a noted designer, producing several posters for the London Underground, some of which she drew in her own calligraphic style. Hutton's former gallery employee, Muriel Rose, went on to open her own establishment, The Little Gallery in 1928, which became one of the most important arts and crafts venues of the period, hosting exhibitions by Bernard Leach and Enid Marx among many others.

Hutton's manuscript of Shakespeare's Sonnet 119 is a masterpiece in gilt, combining the finest elements of calligraphic tradition with design cues from mid-century poster design.

Stock Code: 244688