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Sir Frank Short

  1857 - 1945
 
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The Night Picket Boat at Hammersmith sold

The Night Picket Boat at Hammersmith   1916

Original mezzotint.

Superb signed proof impression of this wonderful nocturne showing London at night during a blackout in the First World War.

This magnificent original mezzotint is Sir Frank Short’s only War subject.

SOLD



Oast Houses, Kent

Oast Houses, Kent   1920

Original etching.

Very rare – one of only 3 or 4 proofs ever printed from this plate.
Very fine signed proof impression printed with considerable plate tone.

£345



An April Day in Kent sold

An April Day in Kent   1903

Original etching.

Superb signed proof impression of this outstanding etching, from the only edition.

SOLD



Strand Gate, Winchelsea sold

Strand Gate, Winchelsea   1910

Original etching.

Excellent signed proof impression
from the only edition to be printed in the first state of the plate.

SOLD



The Sea Road into Seaford sold

The Sea Road into Seaford   1925

Original etching.

Very good signed proof impression from the only edition.

SOLD



The Dijk Bell

The Dijk Bell   1892

Original etching.

Unusual test printing, aside from the normal edition,
pulled by Sir Frank Short as an experiment in April 1930.
Inscribed in pencil by the artist “New ink (waterglass). Hand wiped. 20.4.30”.

£240



Dinner-time on board the Timber Barque ‘Marie’, unloading at Conway sold

Dinner-time on board the Timber Barque ‘Marie’, unloading at Conway   1890

Original etching.

Very fine impression from the edition of 50 signed proofs.

SOLD



Skies a-clearing, Sun a-shining, and the Evensong a-chiming. 
The Church at Kampen sold

Skies a-clearing, Sun a-shining, and the Evensong a-chiming.
The Church at Kampen
  1892

Original etching.

Excellent impression with strong, dark inking and fine, clear detail.
Signed proof from the only edition.

SOLD



’Twixt Dawn and Day sold

’Twixt Dawn and Day   1919

Original aquatint.

Superb signed proof impression.
A particularly beautiful example, the ink wiped with exceptional care to produce subtle variations in lighting throughout the image.

SOLD



The Angry Cloud sold

The Angry Cloud   1930

Original mezzotint.

Excellent signed proof impression with rich mezzotint burr.

SOLD



A Silver Tide sold

A Silver Tide   1912

Original aquatint.

Excellent signed proof impression.

SOLD



A Quiet Evening on the Ferry over the Blyth

A Quiet Evening on the Ferry over the Blyth   1890

Original etching.

Very strong impression from the only edition of 50 signed proofs.

£240



A Span of Old Battersea Bridge sold

A Span of Old Battersea Bridge   1899

Original aquatint with soft ground etching.

Excellent signed proof impression of this striking subject.

SOLD



Old Mill on the Wandle at Mitcham

Old Mill on the Wandle at Mitcham   1899

Original etching.

Very fine impression printed with plate tone. Rare – Hardie catalogues this etching as “outdoor sketch on copper; a few proofs only”.

£385



The New Moon

The New Moon   1918

Original aquatint.

Excellent signed proof impression with outstanding tonal range.

£1,200



A South Coast Road, Pegwell Bay

A South Coast Road, Pegwell Bay   1903

Original etching.

Excellent signed proof impression with strong etched line, printed with delicate plate tone.

£235



Gathering the Flock on Maxwell Bank (No.1)

Gathering the Flock on Maxwell Bank (No.1)   1892

Original etching with soft ground etching.

Superb signed proof impression printed on special blue toned paper.

£320



Sunrise O’er Whitby Scaur sold

Sunrise O’er Whitby Scaur   1899

Original aquatint.

Signed proof impression printed on vellum.

SOLD



Marsh Mallow sold

Marsh Mallow   1916

Original etching.

One of only 3 or 4 proofs printed in the first state of the plate, inscribed by the artist in pencil “first biting”.

SOLD



Mount Rigi at Dawn sold

Mount Rigi at Dawn   1910

Mezzotint after J.M.W. Turner.

Beautiful signed proof impression, with full tonal range and
velvety burr to the mezzotint surface.
From the only published edition of 50 signed proofs on India paper.

SOLD



The Mouth of the Thames – Isle of Sheppey in distance sold

The Mouth of the Thames – Isle of Sheppey in distance   1891

Mezzotint after J.M.W. Turner.

Superb impression with particularly rich mezzotint burr and full tonal range.
An especially fine signed proof impression on applied India paper,
aside from the normal published edition of 250 impressions on Japan paper.

SOLD



Crowhurst Place sold

Crowhurst Place   1902

Mezzotint with etching after J.M.W. Turner.

Excellent signed proof impression, printed in brown ink, with full tonal range.
From the only published edition, thought to have been of less than 50 impressions.

SOLD



Procris and Cephalus

Procris and Cephalus   1885

Mezzotint with etching after J.M.W. Turner.

Very good, rich impression; signed proof printed in dark brown ink.
From the only published edition of approximately 80 to 100 impressions.

£105



Berry Pomeroy Castle

Berry Pomeroy Castle   1885

Etching after J.M.W. Turner

One of a maximum of 36 impressions printed in the etched state, prior to the addition of mezzotint. Excellent impression printed in dark brown ink, with pronounced etched line.

£85



Old Gravel Pits, Moseley, near Birmingham

Old Gravel Pits, Moseley, near Birmingham   1901

Mezzotint after David Cox.

Mezzotint after David Cox. Excellent signed proof impression, with rich mezzotint burr. From the only published edition, as issued to subscribers for the benefit of the Artists’ General Benevolent Institution when Sir Frank Short was acting as a Steward in 1901.

£140



Portrait of Sir Frank Short

Portrait of Sir Frank Short   1921

Original lithograph by Sir William Rothenstein (1872 – 1945)

This striking portrait shows Sir Frank Short at the age of 64 when he was head of the Engraving School at the Royal College of Art.
Very fine signed presentation proof, inscribed in pencil by the artist
“To my friend & colleague Miss Pott, gratefully, W. Rothenstein. July 1924”
and signed “W. Rothenstein 1921” at the lower corner of the sheet.

£475

 

The importance of Sir Frank Short in the development of modern British printmaking cannot be overstated. As head of the first engraving school at the Royal College of Art, and later as President of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers, Frank Short exerted the fundamental influence which was responsible for the technical excellence of British etching and engraving during the first decades of the 20th century. Whether through direct contact, or through contact with printmakers whom he had trained, Sir Frank Short’s teaching has affected the work of almost every British printmaker up to the present day. An outstanding and highly disciplined technician, Frank Short was responsible for the revival of the mezzotint and aquatint processes in England, working, where possible, direct from nature. Apart from his original works, Sir Frank Short produced some of the most inspired mezzotint interpretations of the work of earlier masters, such as Peter de Wint, John Constable, David Cox, and in particular J.M.W. Turner. Indeed, the greatest undertaking in his printed work was to extend and complete Turner’s Liber Studiorum as it had been projected originally by the great artist.

The vast majority of Sir Frank Short’s original printed works were created as pure etchings and it is as an etcher that Short exerted his fundamental influence upon the following generations of printmakers. Indeed, it is in his most open and sketchy etchings that Frank Short displays his particular mastery for capturing a sense of space. In his own characteristic manner he required only a few minimal strokes to convey an impression of great detail. Many of Short’s pupils carried this open style into the next generation of etchers but even those who went their own way stylistically remained indebted to Frank Short's rigorous teaching of printmaking techniques. [more]