My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #619

Here is my Arthurian entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #619 for June 4, 2018. The drawing is by Mick Stevens.

"Have you heard about the new succession plan?"

These captions just didn't cut it:

"Pull out that sword for me and you can keep the desk."
"Forget pulling the sword. We need someone who can pull a fast one with the shareholders."
"No, it's not Excalibur. It's EBITDA."
"Have you ever seen Blockchain before?"
"The rules of corporate governance have changed."
"And this will be your desk."
"Care to try for CEO...in lieu of your bonus?"

June 18, 2018 Update: The Finalists

June 25, 2018 Update: I voted for the third caption.


July 2, 2018 Update:  Winning caption

Note:  Last time around, cartoonist Kaamran Hafeez showed us an unusual hunting trophy. My caption had a short, happy life. Go on safari to Contest #617.

Check out my posts on Mick Stevens when he's not in Camelot.

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How Sir Lancelot was Shot

This large-scale work by Arthur Rackham from The Romance of King Arthur (1917) was offered for sale at Bonhams New York on June 22, where it failed to find a buyer. The image is poetic and atmospheric, and it does a superb job of telling the story of the Arthurian legend. Sir Lancelot, during his affair with Queen Guinevere, goes into hiding near St. Leonard's well. He falls asleep when a lady with a hunting party happens by in pursuit of a hind. She shoots Lancelot in the buttocks. Lancelot recovers in the nearby Clewer Hermitage.

The price estimate is certainly robust, but not unheard of for this artist. Sold or unsold, this is a fine example of the illustrator's art.

Lot No: 90

Arthur Rackham (British, 1867-1939)

"How Sir Lancelot was Shot by a Gentlewoman Hunting," published in The Romance of King Arthur (1917).
Signed lower right.
Ink and watercolor on paper.
35.6 x 26.7cm (14 x 10 1/2in).

Estimate: US$15,000 - 25,000, Unsold

Footnote:  A fine, large image from one of Rackham's most famous works.

Update August 23, 2011:  This piece was previously sold at Heritage Auctions on October 27, 2009 for $11,950 including the buyer's premium.  This sale price suggests that the auction estimate at Bonham's may have been a little too steep.

Sale 19514 - 20th Century Illustration Art, 22 Jun 2011
New York 

http://bonhams.com/eur/auction/19514/lot/90/

Arthur Rackham (British, 1867-1939)

"How Sir Lancelot was Shot by a Gentlewoman Hunting"
The Romance of King Arthur, 1917

My previous post on Rackham's Rhinemaidens can be found here.

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