Blodwen

Inside the image.

A square illustrated cover combines a framed battle scene in the upper portion with a large title and smaller lines of text below. Two oversized, left-facing profile portraits dominate the right half of the picture: a pale, long-nosed figure in a red hood edged with blue sits in front of a woman with long auburn hair, a narrow braid and a pale garment. The hooded figure’s face is near the centre; the woman’s face and hair fill much of the upper-right. Both look towards the battle at left, their calm profiles set against its crowded movement.

The battle occupies a shallow landscape panel behind them. Soldiers, horses, spears and banners overlap across the lower left and centre; a small yellow shield stands out near the middle, and a pale horse and fallen figures are visible among the tangle. A low green field recedes towards a distant hill and a blocky stone building at far left. The sky is pale and softly clouded. Leaves and slender branches enter from the upper-right and lower-right edges, partly surrounding the portraits. A fine, ornate rectangular border encloses the scene, with curled corner ornaments and dark green, ochre and reddish lines. The paper-coloured ground has a mottled, aged-looking appearance.

Below the picture, the word “Blodwen” stretches across most of the width in very large, irregular black lettering. Its initial capital “B” is decorated with red, green and gold scroll-like forms. Two smaller lines beneath read “Opera Gymraeg gan Dr Joseph Parry a Mynyddog” and “The first Welsh language opera, by Dr Joseph Parry”. The lettering is set directly on the pale background, with the Welsh line in a muted brown-gold and the English line in smaller, darker type. The artwork is drawn and painted rather than photographic, using fine dark outlines, softly blended colours and densely rendered detail in the battle, contrasted with the simpler, enlarged portrait faces.