This is a rare early drypoint etching made by the celebrated Scottish artist and designer, George Bain.
He was often regarded as the father of modern Celtic design.
George Bain (1881 - 1968) was one of the main instigators in promoting a renewed interest in Celtic design.
He was born in Caithness, Scotland and his family moved to Edinburgh where he trained as an artist.
During the last two years of the First World War, he served in Macedonia (as documented in this etching) which then included northern Greece and parts of Bulgaria, Albania, Kosovo and Serbia. There he sketched and painted both landscapes and the people that he met and worked with.
On his return to Scotland, Bain took up the position of Principal Teacher of Art at Kirkcaldy High School in Fife. He remained in this post until his retirement in 1946.
A large album of the studies that he made here was purchased for the nation with funds from the Art Fund and is now in the Bain Archive and collection at Groam House Museum at Rosemarkie, near Inverness.
Groam House is a fantastic museum and apart from its rich holdings of works by George Bain - it has an internationally important collection of carved Pictish stones. The museum is certainly well worth a visit if you are travelling to the Highlands, and has a rotating programme of exhibitions.
If you wish to see the Bain Collection - it is best to get in touch with the curator in advance and book an appointment to view some of his works held in-store.
This rare early print by Bain is signed and titled in pencil below and dates to the 1920s when he returned to Scotland after his Balkan tour.
The etching shows a sensitive etched study of an Arab-Turk who resided in Macedonia. The details of the work have been inscribed below in pencil by Bain. This reads: An Arab-Turk Macedonia (Drypoint) / Exhibited Societe Des Artistes Francais 1925. / George Bain.
Dimensions: Frame Size is 36.5 x 29 cm. The image is 23.5 x 17.5 cm.
We have had the print re-framed and it has a new acid-free window mount. The sheet is loose and has not been laid down in the past. It is in good condition as you can see in my photographs.
Recent interest in Celtic Art has seen a renewal of interest in Bain - and an exhibition of his work was held a few years ago at the National Gallery of Scotland.
These early etchings by Bain don't come onto the market so often - and are interesting documents of life in Eastern Europe after the end of WW1.
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