Loans from the Collection
When you visit the National Galleries of Scotland, you might notice that an object is on loan and not out on display. The organisation is often asked to lend its artworks, most frequently to temporary exhibitions in other museums and galleries, but also occasionally for study purposes. We consider ourselves generous lenders and are proud of having a collection that is in demand around the world. In 2005 and 2006, the National Galleries of Scotland sent out approximately 470 objects per year. This figure does not include movements within the galleries for temporary displays and exhibitions.
Sir Jacob Epstein
Consummatum Est1936 - 1937For years this sculpture belonged to Tussaud's fairground in Blackpool, where it was exhibited as a curiosity, alongside other Epstein carvings. The idea for the sculpture came to the artist while he was listening to Bach's B minor Mass and looking at a large slab of alabaster in his studio. He was suddenly inspired by the idea and saw the sculpture as a whole, in his head. According to St John's Gospel, 'consummatum est' - ('It is finished') were the words Christ uttered from the Cross.
- Accession no. GMA 2304
- Medium Alabaster
- Size 61.00 x 223.50 x 81.00 cm
- Credit Purchased 1981
Sir Jacob Epstein (American / British, 1880 - 1959)
American-born Epstein studied art in Paris then settled in England in 1905. He was one of the first sculptors to take an interest in (so-called) primitive and ancient sculpture and had an outstanding collection of his own. By 1920 he had become probably the most notorious modern artist working in Britain, condemned for the stylized treatment of form in some works and for the brazen nudity in others. Like Moore, Hepworth and many other early twentieth-century sculptors, Epstein wanted his carvings to reflect the individual qualities and form of the original block of stone. This tendency is often referred to as being 'true to the materials'.