Kestrel
About this artwork
'Kestrel' was made during a period in the mid-1930s when Boyd was establishing her reputation. It was exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy in 1936 and at the Royal Glasgow Institute the following year. It is a compelling and unusual interpretation of a bird of prey in watchful rest, waiting or contemplating an unknown view. Boyd avoided the tradition of depicting birds of prey as hunters or in combat over territory, instead presenting it as a gentle creature. During the interwar period, birds of prey were commonly used in the iconography of war and it may be that Boyd carved her calm looking kestrel as a symbol of the desire for peace.
Updated before 2020
-
artist:Mary Syme Boyd (1910 - 1997) Scottish
-
title:Kestrel
-
date created:About 1936
-
materials:Wood (Sabique)
-
measurements:40.50 x 20.00 x 10.30 cm
-
object type:
-
credit line:Bequeathed by the artist 1997
-
accession number:GMA 4185
-
gallery:
-
subject:
Mary Syme Boyd
Mary Syme Boyd
Syme Boyd was born in Edinburgh in 1910. She studied at Edinburgh College of Art from 1929 to 1933 and was awarded a scholarship to travel to Paris, studying under the acclaimed animalier sculptor Édouard Navellier. A second scholarship allowed Boyd to travel to Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Belgium...