Skip to main content
Advanced Search
Cast of the Death Mask of George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), Author, Playwright and Critic
, English, 20th century
Title
Cast of the Death Mask of George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), Author, Playwright and Critic
Date20th century
MediumPlaster
Dimensions
31 cm
Credit LinePresented, Trustees of the British Museum, 1981
Object numberNGI.8254
Label TextIrish writer Shaw made significant contributions to the fields of criticism and drama in his lifetime. A prolific writer, he worked variously as a journalist, art and theatre critic and playwright, and was awarded the 1925 Nobel Prize for Literature. Shaw bequeathed one-third of his royalties to the National Gallery of Ireland, which he documented as playing a pivotal role in his childhood. Although Shaw appears wizened with age in this poignant death mask, his trademark beard makes it an identifiable likeness.