About this artwork

This beautifully detailed drawing depicts the National Gallery of Scotland and Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh, as seen from Princes Street. Bone was particularly skilled at depicting detail and it has been suggested that this was a result of his being long-sighted in one eye and short-sighted in the other. The drawing was bequeathed to the National Galleries of Scotland by Sir James Caw in 1950, and is inscribed ‘In return for tea at Edinburgh Sept. 16, 1910.’ Sir James Caw was the first director of the National Gallery of Scotland, from 1907-30 and presumably Bone gave Caw this drawing of his place of work as a gift for providing him with tea.

Updated before 2020

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Sir Muirhead Bone

Sir Muirhead Bone