Riding the tortoise

'Tortoise Ride' by Meg Hunt

Virginia Frances Sterrett, illustration for Old French Fairy Tales (1920) by the Contesse de Segur (via 50watts). The story illustrated is that of Blondine, a princess lost in a forest due to the actions of her wicked step-mother, where amongst other adventures, she meets a great tortoise who offers her protection and to lead her out of the woods so long as she will sit on her back silently, without asking a single question, for six months. Another French fairytale has a princess who rides a tortoise- Babiole, but only when she has been cursed and turned into a (well-educated) monkey.

'A Monkey Riding on a Tortoise' (1821) by Katsushika Hokusai

Which makes me think of Monkey, Sun Wukong riding the giant tortoise during his epic Journey to the West, and then I am reminded that I promised you more of Awazu's turtles, some time ago. Here are but a few:

'QUARTIER PARCO -A' (1973), Advertizing Poster, Silk-screen by Kiyoshi Awazu

(1978) Public postet, offset, by Kiyoshi Awazu

(1980) Public postet, offset, by Kiyoshi Awazu

(1975) by Kiyoshi Awazu