Another favorite of mine. Not the most popular of my paintings but I really like it. Devant was an English Magician who worked with John Nevil Maskelyne for a time and is considered Britian's greatest conjurer. He had some marvelous creations and maybe his most ambitious was something he called "The Mascot Moth". He said the idea came to him in a dream when he saw a moth hover of the flame of a candle and vanish into the smoke.
In Devant's illusion, a woman dressed in a moth-like outfit would disappear from the stage in full view of the audience with no coverings at all. This effect was recreated for the Doug Henning MERLIN Musical on Broadway in the 1980s. A few years ago it was a featured effect at the LA Conference on Magic History.
In my painting, you'll see a figure of a moth on Devant's lapel. It's probably the one big tip off as to who it is. His mustache is not unlike that of Dr. Wilford Brodie, so some might mistake the painting for Brodie, but in fact it is David Devant.
This piece is in acrylics and is 16x20.
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