ROBERT MACBRYDE (BRITISH 1913-1966) §
STILL LIFE - FRUIT IN A DISH (DESIGN FOR ASCHER SQUARE), c. 1947
£1,764
Auction: The Gillian Raffles Collection Evening - Lots 1 to 73 - Thursday 01 May at 18:00
Description
signed and titled ‘Still Life / MacBryde’ in blue ink (to reverse), monotype on paper
Dimensions
34cm x 33cm (13 3/8in x 13in)
Provenance
Redfern Gallery, London, 1983, from whom acquired by Gillian Raffles;
The Collection of Gillian Raffles.
Footnote
The painter and theatre designer Robert MacBryde collaborated with Ascher Ltd. in the 1940s to create artist-designed scarves. This current original design ‘Still Life’ went into production in 1947 in silk twill in an edition of 225, and MacBryde gave particular thought to the practical nature of the commission and material in designing this work:
“I imagine more could be learned from the past about the application of decoration in textiles – not mere imitation of old patterns, but the correct proportion inside the function of the material.
Presuming a square to be worn as headgear, it would have a variety of draping dictated by the form of a head and this should not conceal entirely the main pattern.
This design is from a still life painted some time ago and adapted to my idea of a square as something to be worn.”
Zika Ascher, the founder of Ascher Ltd., was known for commissioning contemporary artists to design textiles, resulting in unique and collectible pieces. MacBryde's collaboration with Ascher is a testament to the fusion of fine art and fashion during that era. The National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne holds an example of this scarf in its collection.