This is one of a small selection of etchings that I have available on my online store relating to the 1901 International Exhibition in Glasgow.
This is a fine etching depicting an interesting piece of Glasgow history. It is beautifully rendered and has been strengthened with lots of drypoint details. It was created by one of Scotland's finest printmakers, Sir Muirhead Bone (1876 - 1953).
Muirhead Bone was born in Partick, Glasgow, and trained as an architect. He attended evening classes at Glasgow School of Art and was self-taught as an etcher.
In 1901 he settled in London, where he quickly established an international reputation, selling prints for large sums. He produced nearly 500 prints and was knighted in 1937.
This print is one of a series that Bone was commissioned to produce by the publisher, Annan. The series was to record scenes and a selection of the temporary buildings constructed for the Glasgow International Exhibition of 1901. For his ten etchings and drypoints Bone chose to depict views of the Main Gate to the exhibition, the newly built International Hall, as well as views of some of the principal pavilions, theaters and gardens.
The Exhibition ran for six months and it had elaborate exhibition halls, gardens and a selection of amazing international pavilions. Over eleven and a half million visitors came to the event. I love how Bone has added some of these visitors to the site to give it a sense of scale and vibrancy to the location. They are very ghost like and transient perhaps reminding us that the whole scene is a temporary one. The figures are almost translucent - and a little like people you might see in street scenes of old photographs.
The set of consists of a total of ten etchings and these were published in a limited edition of ninety impressions. These were never pencil signed - but were all printed with a signature by Bone in the plate, as photographed.
Etchings by Sir Muirhead Bone are always harder items to source. He was a traditional Etching Revival printmaker who would not steel-face his plates for printing larger editions. Most of his intaglio prints are drawn on copper plates and have lots of rich drypoint details. The burr wears away more quickly and details eventually become fainter - his prints are best with low edition numbers and often do not print as editions of over 100 impressions.
This one is entitled: Evening in Little Russia: It features visitors to the exhibition walking through the park. The spires of the Russian Pavilion can be seen in the distance.
The 1901 Glasgow International Exhibition featured a prominent Russian section; the largest of the foreign exhibits. The Tsar of Russia is reported to have spent £30,000 on the Russian exhibition, highlighting its scale and importance at the Glasgow site.
The spectacle was known as the "Russian village" or "Russian Street". It included four large pavilions and several smaller buildings. This exhibit showcased various aspects of Russian culture and industry, attracting significant attention and becoming one of the most important cultural events of 1901. The Russian village was designed by Fyodor Schechtel and included brightly colored buildings.
This is a very fine impression and is in excellent condition with no issues. Another pencil signed impression is in the collection of the National Galleries of Scotland. I have taken lots of images for your attention.
Dimensions: Frame Size is 53 x 43 cm. The image size is 25 x 14.5 cm.
It is being sold framed in a dark brown wooden frame. It is a nice fresh impression that is all ready to hang on your wall. It had previously been retailed at the Bourne Fine Art Gallery in Edinburgh (now the Fine Art Society). There is there label on the back of the frame.
This is a much harder image to source - many are in museum collections. This is reflected in my asking price for this historic image and original etching / artwork.
UK Postage with an insured and tracked service will cost £14.95 and this will be applied to your order at the checkout.