George W. Davison - No. 1
Medium
drypoint
Dimensions
sheet (irreg.): 37 × 28.3 cm (14 9/16 × 11 1/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.2071
Art Historical Context
Sir Muirhead Bone's *George W. Davison -. 1* (1923) is a compelling drypoint portrait that captures the essence of its subject with remarkable intimacy and precision. Created in the interwar period, this print reflects Bone's stature as a leading British artist, knighted for his contributions to etching and drawing. The title suggests a focused study—perhaps the first in a series—of George W Davison, rendered on an irregularly trimmed sheet measuring 37 × 28.3 cm, inviting viewers into a personal encounter. Drypoint, Bone's favored medium here, involves scratching directly into a copper plate...
About the Artist
Sir Muirhead Bone
Sir Muirhead Bone (1876–1953), born David Muirhead Bone in Partick, Glasgow, to a journalist father and descended from a family of printers, showed early artistic promise. Apprenticed at fourteen first as a porcelain painter and then as an architect's draughtsman for four years, he honed his draughtsmanship while attending evening classes at the Glasgow School of Art under teachers Archibald Kay a...