Sunday, May 17, 2009

The Passing of Cinhil




After her first set of Kelson books, Katherine Kurtz took her readers back about 300 years, to an earlier time in the Deryni world. The hero this time was Camber, a warrior, diplomat, and kingmaker. Cinhil (pronounced "Kin-hill") was the last descendant of the royal family, who wanted only to be a monk hidden away in a monastery. But Camber, for the good of the kingdom, brought him out of seclusion and persuaded (forced, perhaps) Cinhil to renounce his monastic vows and take the throne. He ruled for enough time to leave some heirs, and then died of tuberculosis. This shows Camber (in his disguised form, as the plot required) holding the dead King as colorful angels bring his soul into Heaven. 

I made this picture especially for Katherine Kurtz, who was my hostess in California after the World Science Fiction Convention in 1984. She still owns it after all these years. It is ink and watercolor on Fabriano watercolor paper, 11" x 14", done in January of 1985. Remember to click on the image for a larger version. In 1985 I didn't click on anything.

1 comment:

Evie Delacourt said...

I just read this scene last night. Truly gorgeous artwork! Unfortunately, clicking on it doesn't show me a larger version, just a lonely red pixel. Not sure if the problem is on that end or with my browser, but even the reduced size art is beautiful.