Lot 24
  • 24

Henry Moore

Estimate
2,000,000 - 3,000,000 USD
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Description

  • Henry Moore
  • Working model for draped reclining figure
  • Inscribed with the signature Moore and numbered 6/9
  • Bronze
  • Length: 39 3/8 in.
  • 100 cm

Provenance

Marlborough Fine Arts, London (acquired from the artist)

Acquired from the above in the 1980s

Literature

Franco Russoli & David Mitchinson, ed., Henry Moore Sculpture, New York, 1981, nos. 590-591, illustrations of another cast p. 284

Henry Moore, Sculptures, Drawings, Graphics, 1921-1981 (exhibition catalogue), Parque de El Retiro, Madrid, 1981, nos. 590-591, illustrations of another cast p. 284

Henry Moore in Israel (exhibition catalogue), Horace Richter Gallery, Tel-Aviv, 1982, no. 28, illustration of another cast p. 40

Alan Bowness, ed., Henry Moore, Sculptures and drawings, Volume 5, Sculpture 1974-80, vol. 5, London, 1983, no. 705, illustration of another cast p. 30, pls. 94 and 95 (as dating from 1976-79)

Henry Moore (exhibition catalogue), Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 1992, no. 167, illustration of another cast p. 187

Henry Moore, gli ultimi 10 anni (exhibition catalogue), Castelgrande de Bellinzona, Switzerland & Castel Nuovo di Napoli, 1995, no. 16, illustration in color of another cast p. 67

Henry Moore in the Light of Greece (exhibition catalogue), Andros, Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation, Museum of Contemporary Art, 2000, no. 42, illustration in color of another cast

Condition

Very good condition. The bronze bears a dark brown patina with gold and green undertones. There is a tiny nick to the bronze at the left vertical edge on the front of the base, as well as a hairline scratch to the base at the right front corner. The sculpture itself is structurally sound, with no visible losses or abrasions.
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.

Catalogue Note

Between 1974 and 1980, Moore created three important sculptures of a recumbent female form, Reclining Figure: Angles, Reclining Figure: Prop and Draped Reclining Figure.  In their refinement and naturalism, these sculptures harkened back to the more realistically modeled figures of his earlier career while also exhibiting the assured abstract sensibility that characterized his later production.  Sir Alan Bowness wrote, "If one reviews the work done since 1973 the most obvious characteristic is a certain sense of consolidation – the drawing together of the threads of a long and various career.  The invention is as marked as ever, but it often operates within the most fundamental motif of Moore's entire work – that of the reclining female figure" (A. Bowness, op. cit., p. 7).

 

Moore's practice was typically to envision a piece first on a small, table-top scale, referred to as a maquette.  He would then model an intermediary scale "working model" of approximately 2-3 feet before finally creating an enlarged, final phase of monumental scale.  Unlike Angles and Prop for which there are bronze editions of nine in both working model and large scale, the present form, Draped Reclining Figure, was only enlarged once as a unique piece in travertine marble (Collection of The Henry Moore Foundation).   According to the Henry Moore Foundation, the present bronze is from an edition of 9, plus one artist's proof and is recorded in the Foundation's archives.