St George

Meteyard was born in Stourbridge and studied under Edward R Taylor at Birmingham School of Art where he may well have first come into contact with Burne-Jones whose work was to have a great influence upon him. Known as a painter, designer of stained glass and enamels, and book illustrator, much of his work was still life, or mythological and fairytale subjects. He lived and worked in Birmingham for much of his life and as an original member of the Birmingham Group he contributed to the murals in Birmingham Town Hall c.1890, and as an illustrator to the publications The Quest and A Book of Pictured Cards. As a teacher at Birmingham School of Art, Meteyard was responsible for enamelling, gesso, leatherwork and other crafts. He was to marry on of his pupils, Kate Eadie. He exhibited pictures at the Royal Academy, New Gallery and Royal Birmingham Society of Artists of which group he became an associate member in 1902 and full member in 1909. The present work was produced as an illustration for The Quest, a periodical magazine printed by the Birmingham Guild of Handicraft. The Quest began in November 1895 and aimed to appear three times a year, but was short-lived (1895-96). Other contributors included William Morris, A J Gaskin and C M Gere.