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BONE, Muirhead.
War Drawings.
Edition de Luxe. Signed Proofs from the Collection presented to the British Museum by His Majesty's Government.
Publisher: London, Published by Authority of the War Office by Country Life Limited and George Newnes Limited, 1917–8
Stock code: 27500
Price: £6,000 Currency Conversion
First edition, first impression. The Edition de Luxe was limited to 50 sets with each of the 60 lithographic proofs signed by Muirhead Bone in pencil, and with his embossed monogram, approx. size 530mm x 395mm. Portfolio also with signed limitation label mounted inside the upper panel. In 1916 William Rothenstein, a friend of Bone and a fellow member of the Society of Twelve, proposed that an artist should be sent to the front to record the War, Bone was chosen for the task. He arrived in August, 1916 at the height of the Somme Offensive and toured the Southern battle-fields working rapidly in various media - pencil, pen, charcoal and chalk - sending back over 150 finished drawings by October. "He recorded mostly life behind the lines illustrating the settings for war rather than battle scenes – the work of the medical services, encampments, soldiers of duty, soldiers marching, landscapes and ruined towns...The detail and accuracy of Bone's drawings provided an authentic, eyewitness record of the immense logistic efforts of the Somme, one that proved immensely popular and resulted in more artists being commissioned." [IWM Somme web-site]. Bone has been described as one of the greatest British draughtsmen and the composition of these "masterly lithographs" [DNB] is a clear confirmation of that judgement. Very rarely encountered complete, the lithographs having often been sold off individually, no sets traced at auction in the last 20 years.
Folio (560mm x 470mm) cloth-backed heavy card portfolio with ties housing 6 light card fascicules each containing a loose contents leaf and 10 signed proof lithographic prints. Total 60 plates. The portfolio has a chip to the upper top right hand corner, the inner paper flaps are chipped and tattered, the upper flap lacking, both ties are present. Light damp staining affecting the wraps of Part I, visible only internally on the lining papers, plates entirely unaffected, this part issued without ties, all other folders are very good with ties, bar Part III which lacks one. 4 of the proofs have browning to the edges not affecting the image, 1 has some slight fraying to one edge not affecting the image. Overall, a highly presentable set.
