Chioggia

About this artwork

signature: ‘Muirhead Bone’

Art Historical Context

Muirhead Bone’s 5 drypoint *Chioggia* captures a quiet corner of the historic fishing town on the Venetian lagoon. At just 157 by 175 millimetres, the print invites close viewing, its compact scale perfectly suited to the intimate street and canal views for which Bone became celebrated. The artist’s signature, inscribed directly in the plate, confirms this impression as a work he considered finished and worthy of release. Drypoint, the technique employed here, involves drawing directly into a metal plate with a sharp point, raising a delicate burr of metal that holds ink and produces the soft, velvety lines visible throughout the composition. Unlike etching, where acid bites the lines, drypoint’s directness gives Bone’s architectural subjects a tactile warmth and immediacy that suited his precise yet atmospheric approach. Created in 1915, during the First World War, the print reflects Bone’s lifelong fascination with places shaped by water and human activity. Its modest size and refined technique together demonstrate how an artist could distill the character of an entire locale into a single, quietly powerful image.

About the Artist

Muirhead Bone · 1876–1953

Sir Muirhead Bone was born in Glasgow on March 23, 1876, into a world of shipyards and industrial architecture that would profoundly shape his art. He trained initially in architectural draftsmanship before studying at Glasgow School of Art, developing a draughtsman's eye for structure and mass. He began printmaking in 1898, and though his first known print was a lithograph, he became celebrated a...