Henry Moore, O.M., C.H.

A. Haskell, from whom acquired by Wilfrid A. Evill in 1944 for £30.0.0, by whom bequeathed to Honor Frost in 1963

London, Contemporary Art Society, The Home of Wilfrid A. Evill, Catalogue of Part of a Collection of Oil Paintings, Water Colours, Drawings and Sculpture Belonging to W. A. Evill, Esq., December 1947 - February 1948, cat. no.93;
London, The Tate Gallery, Contemporary Art Society, The Private Collector, 23rd March - 23rd April 1950, cat. no.328;
London, The Home of Wilfrid A. Evill, Contemporary Art Society, Pictures, Drawings, Water Colours and Sculpture, April - May 1961, (part I- section 3) cat. no.23;
Brighton, Brighton Art Gallery, The Wilfrid Evill Memorial Exhibition, June - August 1965, cat. no.116 (as Head of a Young Girl);
London, Tate Gallery, Henry Moore, 17th July - 22nd September 1968, cat. no.3.

Bernard Denvir, 'Art Collectors and their Collections: 2. W.A.Evill',The Studio, vol. 137 no.671, February 1949, illustrated p.46;
John Hedgecoe and Henry Moore, Henry Moore, Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd., London, 1968, pp.36 & 48, illustrated (clay);
David Sylvester (ed.), Henry Moore, Complete Sculpture 1921-1948, Volume 1, Lund Humphries, London, 1988, LH15, p.3, illustrated p.21 (clay);
David Mitchinson et al., Celebrating Moore: Works from the Collection of the Henry Moore Foundation, Lund Humphries/HMF, London 1998, p.81 (clay);
Peter Osborne (intro.), Henry Moore 1898-1986, A Centenary Exhibition, Berkeley Square Gallery, London, 1998, illustrated in the catalogue (unpaginated) (another cast).  

Dirt has gathered in some of the crevices and there is a very small spot of discolouration to her right cheek but the sculpture is in good overall condition. Please telephone the department on 020 7293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present work
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

As the recent exhibition, Modern British Sculpture, at the Royal Academy attempted to demonstrate, the Imperial legacy that was available to artists through the treasure house of the British Museum was immense and varied, and Moore, like all the major figures of British sculpture in the first half of the twentieth century, immersed himself deeply.

This very early sculpture, cast from a clay of 1923, is remarkable for not only the variety of sources on which it seems to draw, but also that it is modelled rather than carved. In her discussion of the piece in the HMF centenary publication, Penelope Curtis suggests two contrasting strands of influence which the sculpture appears to suggest, the ancient Egyptian and contemporary German. A comparison with the work of Wilhelm Lembruck or even Georg Kolbe does not seem unreasonable, but seen cast in bronze and thus with a patination that is reminiscent of well-handled hardwood, the influence of African sculpture also comes very strongly to the fore.