Henry Moore

Private Collection, California
Private Collection, New England

Alan Bowness & Herbert Read, Henry Moore, Sculpture and Drawings, London, 1965, vol. II,  no. 312, illustrated pl. 42
John Hedgecoe & Henry Moore, Henry Moore, New York, 1968, fig. 1, illustration of another cast p. 178
Philip James, Henry Moore on Sculpture, New York, 1971, no. 45, illustration of another cast p. 140
Robert Melville, Henry Moore, Sculpture and Drawings 1921-1969, New York, 1971, no. 429, illustration of another cast
David Mitchinson, Henry Moore Sculpture, New York, 1981, no. 222, illustration of another cast p. 114
Alan Bowness, Henry Moore, Complete Sculpture, London, 1986, vol. II, no. 312, illustration of another cast p. 39
Susan Compton, Henry Moore, New York, 1988, no. 123, illustration of another cast p. 231

Attractive green brown patina, There are a few minor spots of oxidisation, some light surface scratches in places and light surface dirt in the crevices, consistent with age and handling. Otherwise this work is in overall very good condition. Colours: The colours are slightly greener in the original when compared to the printed catalogue illustration.
"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."

Henry Moore proclaimed that he was obsessed with the theme of the Mother and Child. From his earliest surviving work to his late, monumental sculptures, the Mother and Child figures prominently in his œuvre. Mother and Child on a Ladderback Rocking Chair is an especially poignant variation on the theme because it was inspired by Moore's daughter, Mary, who was born in 1947. The present sculpture from 1952 is a later variant of a series of small rocking chair sculptures Moore created in 1950 as toys for Mary. He experimented with the curvature of the base and the distribution of weight so each chair rocked at a different pace. In Mother and Child on a Ladderback Rocking Chair, the mother props the child on her knee so the two might exchange a tender gaze. The triangular protrusion of the mother's chest underscores the bond between the two abstract figures.

In a 1960 interview with Donald Hall, Moore explained how he experimented with his technique for the present sculpture. Instead of his typical method of modelling in plaster and then having a wax replica made for casting, here Moore created the forms in wax directly. He told Hall, 'Now, working direct in wax has many possibilities, since wax has a toughness about it that will allow you to do very thin forms – for example take that rocking chair sculpture of mine in which the back of the chair is in struts like a ladder, you couldn't make that construction in clay, nor in plaster, without awful trouble, whereas that was modelled directly in wax, easily and straightforwardly' (quoted in Philip James (ed.), Henry Moore on Sculpture, New York, 1971, pp. 139-141). The wax technique allowed Moore to give this sculpture a particular delicacy of form that enhances the intimacy of the scene.