Study of a Girl's Head
1936
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
engraving in black on wove paper
Dimensions
plate: 27.62 × 22.23 cm (10 7/8 × 8 3/4 in.) sheet: 36.67 × 29.21 cm (14 7/16 × 11 1/2 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Bequest of Frank B. Bristow)
Accession Number
2015.19.1091
Art Historical Context
Robert Austin's *Study of a Girl's* (1936) is a masterful engraving that the delicate features and introspective gaze of its young subject. Created during the interwar period in, this print exemplifies Austin's reputation as one of the foremost engravers his time. A student and later teacher at the Royal College of Art, Austin drew on classical traditions while embracing the precision of modern printmaking, producing works that blend realism with subtle emotional depth. The medium—engraving in black ink on wove paper—highlights Austin's technical virtuosity. He incised fine lines into a coppe...
About the Artist
Robert Austin
Robert Sargent Austin RA PPRWS PPRE (1895–1973) was a preeminent British engraver, draughtsman, illustrator, and painter, born in Leicester, England, where his prodigious talent emerged early—at just eight years old, he exhibited with the Royal Drawing Society.) He trained first at the Leicester Municipal School of Art from 1909 to 1913, then at the Royal College of Art from 1914–1916 and 1919–192...