Henry Moore

G. Blair Laing, Toronto
Acquired from the above in 1970

David Sylvester, ed., Henry Moore, Complete Sculpture 1921-48, vol. I, London, 1988, no. 197, illustration of the bronze version p. 131

The stringed sculpture is in excellent condition. The lead sculpture rests securely on its stone base. The sculpture displays a dark grey patina that is in excellent condition. Tiny nicks and scratches can be seen on the surface, which is characteristic of lead because it is soft and easily nicked. Original tool marks in the form of consecutive white scratches can be seen on the neck and the belly where it is strung. The bluish grey string is taught and well secured to the figure. The string is new and was procured based on specifications provided by the Moore Foundation. No significant scratches or abrasions to the patina were evident on the sculpture. The sculpture displays a fresh protective wax coating. Minor chips along the top and bottom edges of the stone base were noted. A minor 1/4" loss in the stone was observed on top of the base under the figure's arm. The artist's signature and date were found on the proper right back corner of the base. The above condition report has been provided by Jackie Wilson of Wilson Conservation, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This unique work is an important example of the style that Moore would transform into the ultimate expression of Modernist abstract sculpture. Inspired by the Pre-Columbian god Chacmool that is ubiquitous in Mexican archaeology (see fig. 1), Moore's subject here is a small but finely-executed version of a reclining female nude, a form which became the sculptor's signature motif. As for the form itself, Moore stated, "There are three fundamental poses of the human figure. One standing, another is seated, and the third is lying down. But of the three poses, the reclining figure gives the most freedom, compositionally and spacially. The seated figure has to have something to sit. You can't free it from its pedestal. A reclining figure can recline on any surface. It is free and stable at the same time. It fits in with my belief that sculpture should be permanent, should last for eternity" (quoted in Franco Russoli, Henry Moore Sculpture (exhibition catalogue), Barcelona, 1981, p. 86).

Stringed Reclining Figure is a continuous ribbon of bronze that has been torqued and stretched into a seamless body. As such, it is a rare example of Moore's Modernist aesthetic at its most refined. Its form is both organic in the flow of its line and highly architectural in its solidity and structural continuity. Moore only hints at the figure's 'humanness,' rendering tiny indentations for facial features and extenuating sections for the torso. Moore's implementation of string in the present work, which he began to do in the mid-1930s, offers an added dimension to the organic form. Moore once remarked, "Undoubtedly the source of my stringed figures was The Science Museum. I was fascinated by the mathematical models I saw there, which had been made to illustrate the difference of the form that is halfway between a square and a circle...It wasn't the scientific study of these models but the ability to look through the strings as with a bird cage and to see one form within another which excited me" (quoted in Henry Moore: Sculpting the 20^th Century (exhibition catalogue), Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, 2001).

Fig. 1 Aztec Chacmool figure, 900-1000 A.D., Museo Nacional de Antropologia, Mexico City