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Memorial Monument Design

1918-25 (made)
Artist/Maker
Francis Derwent Wood (artist)
Place of origin
England (made)

Design for the Machine Gun Corps Memorial, showing a naked figure atop a tiered plinth.

Object details

Categories
Designs
Drawings
Sculpture
Object type
Memorial monument design
Materials and techniques
Pencil, pen and ink and wash
Pencil
Pen and Ink
Wash
Drawing
Brief description
Francis Derwent Wood. Design for the Machine Gun Corps Memorial, erected at Hyde Park in 1925. Pencil, pen and ink, and wash. 1918-25
Physical description
Design for the Machine Gun Corps Memorial, showing a naked figure atop a tiered plinth.
Dimensions
  • Height: 35.4cm
  • Width: 25.7cm
Contained with 90 other sketches in a volume measuring 21 x 16.5 inches. Dimensions not available for individual sketches.
Gallery label
Francis Derwent Wood RA
(1871-1926)
Rough preliminary sketch for the
Machine Gun Corps Memorial, Hyde
Park Corner. about 1920
Pen and ink

The problem of representing such a modern
and anti-romantic image as that of the
Machine Gun Corps was solved by choosing
the motif of the boy David with his sword,
who in the Bible slaughtered the Philistines
in huge numbers. The women of Israel said
that 'Saul hath slain his thousands, and
David his ten thousands.' [I Samuel.18.7].
Derwent Wood based his work on
Donatello's 'David', a cast of which he
would have seen in this Museum's Cast
Courts, when he was a student at South
Kensington. Wood's only concession to
modernity was the addition of wreathed
bronze models of machine guns on the
plinth of the memorial.

E.926-1945
Credit line
Given by Mrs Derwent Wood
Bibliographic reference
Victoria and Albert Museum, Department of Engraving, Illustration and Design and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1945, London: HMSO, 1956.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.926-1945

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O723585/memorial-monument-design-francis-derwent-wood/
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