Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 6

Frank Dobson
Portrait of the Artist's Assistant, Watercolour and Ink, 20th Century British

$13,580.39
£9,750
€11,529.64
CA$18,486.30
A$20,720.77
CHF 10,788.70
MX$253,009.43
NOK 136,977.23
SEK 129,842.09
DKK 86,023.61
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

Watercolour and ink on graphite, signed lower right Image size: 22 x 17 1/2 inches (56 x 44.5 cm) Original frame POA Inscribed on reverse 'Frank Dobson's Assistant - Celia Gills' Frank Dobson Dobson, Frank (1886–1963). British sculptor, born in London, the son of an illustrator of the same name. From 1902 to 1904 he worked as an assistant to William Reynolds-Stephens. He then spent two years in Cornwall, earning his living with landscape watercolours, before winning a scholarship to Hospitalfield Art Institute, Arbroath, where he studied 1906–10. After returning to London, he continued his studies at the City and Guilds School, Kennington, then again lived in Cornwall, where he shared a studio with Cedric Morris in Newlyn. His early work consisted mainly of paintings, the few surviving examples showing how impressed he was by Roger Fry’s Post-Impressionist exhibitions (Stanhope Forbes, whom Dobson met in Newlyn, had been shocked by his modernism). He made his first carving in 1913, but his first one-man exhibition—at the Chenil Gallery, London, in 1914—consisted of paintings and drawings. After the First World War (when he served in France with the Artists’ Rifles), he turned increasingly to sculpture, and had his first one-man exhibition as a sculptor in 1920, at the Leicester Galleries, London. During the 1920s and 1930s Dobson gained an outstanding reputation: in 1925 Roger Fry described his work as ‘true sculpture and pure sculpture … almost the first time that such a thing has been even attempted in England’. The monumental dignity of his work was in the tradition of Maillol, and like him Dobson found the female nude the most satisfactory subject for three-dimensional composition, as in Cornucopia (University of Hull, 1925–7), described by Clive Bell as ‘the finest piece of sculpture by an Englishman since—I don’t know when’. His work was more stylized than Maillol’s, however, and his sophisticated simplifications of form made him one of the pioneers of modern sculpture in Britain. Dobson was also outstanding as a portrait sculptor, his best-known work in this field being the head of Sir Osbert Sitwell in polished brass (Tate Gallery, London, 1923). He worked in various other materials including bronze, terracotta, and stone, and he was prominent in the revival of direct carving. His craftsmanship in all these materials was superb and he played an important role as a liberal-minded and kind-hearted teacher at the Royal College of Art, where he was professor of sculpture from 1946 to 1953. After World War II Dobson was appointed professor of Sculpture at the Royal College of Art and awarded the CBE. Dobson is represented in many public galleries, including the Tate Gallery, London. There was an Arts Council memorial exhibition in 1966 and more recently there was a major retrospective at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, in 1994. With the rise of a younger generation led by Henry Moore, however, Dobson’s prestige as an artist dropped; his work was regarded as dated, and the memorial exhibition organized by the Arts Council in 1966 was poorly received. Since then his reputation has greatly revived and he has again been recognized as one of the outstanding figures in 20th-century British sculpture.
  • Creator:
    Frank Dobson (1886 - 1963, British)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 22 in (55.88 cm)Width: 15 in (38.1 cm)
  • More Editions & Sizes:
    1 of 1Price: $13,580
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    London, GB
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU52413423062

More From This Seller

View All
Woman at Rest, Signed Charcoal Sketch, 20th Century British
By James Stroudley
Located in London, GB
Charcoal on paper, signed lower left Image size: 15 3/4 x 21 inches (40 x 53.5 cm) Contemporary frame James Stroudley Stroudley was born in London on 17 June 1906, the son of James Stroudley, showcard and ticket writer. He studied at Clapham School of Art (1923-27) and then at the Royal College of Art (1927-30), where his teachers included Alan Gwynne-Jones and William Rothenstein. As a recipient of the first Abbey Scholarship he was able to spend three years in Italy from 1930, where he absorbed the influences of Giotto and Piero della Francesca, and produced one of the last wholly satisfying decorative cycles by a Rome Scholar of the period. From 1934, he exhibited at the Royal Society of British Artists, and was elected to its membership in the following year. From the Second World War – in which he worked with the Camouflage Unit – Stroudley taught at St Martin’s School of Art and was a visiting lecturer at the Royal Academy Schools. Though he continued to live in London, his later work, exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1955, indicated regular painting trips to Kent and Sussex coasts. However, much of his later work was abstract. In 1971, his former student, Peter Coker, paid homage to Stroudley by including his work in the exhibition ‘Pupil & Masters’, held at Westgate House, Long Melford, Suffolk. Stroudley married three times, and his wives included the fashion artist to the Sun newspaper...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Charcoal

Showstopper, 20th Century Ink and Watercolour Sketch, Wigan School
Located in London, GB
Ink and watercolour on paper Image size: 13 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches (35.25 x 24.25 cm) Framed Created in 1958 by the artist as evidence for study in their 'Examination in Art' at Wigan A...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Ink, Watercolor

Study of a Woman, Graphite Sketch, 20th Century British Artist, Signed
Located in London, GB
Graphite on paper, signed on reverse Image size: 11 x 9 1/2 inches (28 x 24 cm) Mounted and framed Ernest Proctor Born in Tynemouth, Northumberland, the son of a scientist, Ernest was educated at Bootham Friends' School in York and then came to Newlyn in 1907 to study with Stanhope Forbes. He quickly become recognized as the best student of the School. He acted as Assistant to Stanhope Forbes and Elizabeth Forbes...
Category

20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Graphite

Study of a Woman, Graphite Sketch, 20th Century British Artist, Signed
Located in London, GB
Graphite on paper, signed lower right Image size: 9 x 12 1/2 inches (23 x 32 cm) Mounted and framed Little is known about the artist Winifred Anne Rymer apart from that her career f...
Category

20th Century Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Graphite

Portrait of a Lady, Charcoal Drawing, 20th Century Russian
Located in London, GB
Charcoal , signed lower right and dated 'Paris 1935' Image size: 25 x 19 inches (63.5 x 48 cm) Original oak frame An accomplished example of Russian art from the mid 20th century. ...
Category

1930s Art Deco Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Charcoal

Portrait of a Lady, 20th Century Graphite on Paper
By James Stroudley
Located in London, GB
James Stroudley 1906 -1985 Portrait of a Lady Graphite on paper Image size: 24 x 15 inches James Stroudley was born in London on 17 June 1906, the son of James Stroudley, showcard and ticket writer. He studied at Clapham School of Art (1923-27) and then at the Royal College of Art (1927-30), where his teachers included Alan Gwynne-Jones and William Rothenstein. As a recipient of the first Abbey Scholarship he was able to spend three years in Italy from 1930, where he absorbed the influences of Giotto and Piero della Francesca, and produced one of the last wholly satisfying decorative cycles by a Rome Scholar of the period. From 1934, he exhibited at the Royal Society of British Artists, and was elected to its membership in the following year. From the Second World War – in which he worked with the Camouflage Unit – Stroudley taught at St Martin’s School of Art and was a visiting lecturer at the Royal Academy Schools. Though he continued to live in London, his later work, exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1955, indicated regular painting trips to Kent and Sussex coasts. However, much of his later work was abstract. In 1971, his former student, Peter Coker...
Category

20th Century Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Graphite

You May Also Like

Portrait of a woman - Original Drawing In Tempera and Watercolor - 20th Century
By Tibor Gertler
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of a woman is a beautiful artwork realized by Tibor Gertler. Original drawing in tempera and watercolor. In good condition. Not signed. This artwork represents a nude woma...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Tempera

Portrait of Woman - Original Charcoal and Watercolor Drawing by F. Chapuis-1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of Woman is an original drawing in Charcoal and china on paper by François Chapuis in the 1970s Sheet dimension: 55 x 39 cm The state of preservation is good except for so...
Category

1970s Contemporary Portrait Paintings

Materials

Charcoal, Watercolor

Portrait of a Lady - British art Post Impressionist 40s drawing female portrait
By Edward Bainbridge Copnall
Located in London, GB
A dramatic head and shoulders portrait of a lady in coloured chalks attributed to noted British artist Edward Bainbridge Copnall. This is just a stunning artwork which dates to circa 1940. Signed Bainbridge Copnall. Provenance. Midlands collection. Condition. Coloured chalks on paper, 16 inches by 13 inches and in good colour and condition. Some staining to edges. Housed in its original gallery frame 21 by 18 inches. In excellent condition. Edward Bainbridge Copnall MBE ( 1903-1973) was a British sculptor and painter. He was best known for his architectural and decorative sculptures featuring allegorical and religious subjects. He was the President of the Royal Society of Sculptors from 1961 - 1966. Edward Bainbridge Copnall was born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1903 and moved to Horsham, West Sussex in England as a young child after the death of his mother. His father, photographer Edward White Copnall (born 1878, Isle of Wight), lived and worked in Horsham from 1915-1962. His uncle was Liverpool-based portrait painter Frank Thomas Copnall...
Category

Early 20th Century Realist Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Chalk

Portrait of a Woman - Original Watercolor by Mino Maccari - 1960 ca.
By Mino Maccari
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of a Woman is a very beautiful mixed media and oil painting realized by Mino Maccari in 1960 ca. Hand-signed by the artist on the lower right corner. In good condition, ex...
Category

1960s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

Portrait - Drawing by Jean Lasnier - Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait is a drawing realized by Jean Lasnier in the Mid-20th Century. Oil pastel and watercolor ink on paper. Good conditions with slight foxing. The artwork is realized through...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Oil Pastel, Watercolor

Portrait of Woman - Original Drawing - 1950
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of Woman is Black Marker and Watercolour realized by an unknown artist of 20th century in 1950. Good condition on a grey paper, included a white cardboard (60x40 cm). No s...
Category

1950s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor