Demolition of St. James's Hall, Interior

Sir Muirhead Bone was a Scottish printmaker and watercolor artist particularly noted for his skilled depictions of architecture, city views and landscapes. After he settled in London in 1901, he soon established an international reputation through his remarkable prints, such as this impressive scene documenting the demolition of a popular London concert hall. St. James's Hall, designed with interior decorations by Owen Jones, opened in 1858; it was located on a site between Regent Street and Piccadilly, where it held fine musical performances until it was dismantled and razed in early 1905. Bone made drawings of this monumental building as it was being torn down. Subsequently, he created two drypoints: this one showing what remained of its once-grand interior, and another one of its ruined exterior. Bone deftly animated the immense cavernous space with the interplay of dramatic dark shadows and sunlit patches on massive walls. He also depicted workmen who are busy throughout the building: on the long ladder at right, controlling various ropes and pulleys,and perched precariously below the roof. At the lower center, Bone also noted men guiding two work horses. This large, amazingly detailed print ranks among the artist's best works.