Lot 136
  • 136

Sir Jacob Epstein

Estimate
12,000 - 18,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Sir Jacob Epstein
  • Augustus John
  • Bronze
  • Height: 14 in.; 35.6 cm
  • Conceived in 1916.

Provenance

Private Collection
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Literature

Richard Buckle, Jacob Epstein Sculptor, London, 1963, no. 127, illustration of another cast p. 83
Evelyn Silber, The Sculpture of Epstein, Lewisburg, 1987, no. 72, illustration of another cast p. 139

Condition

Bronze with a green patina on a 4 (H) by 12 (W) by 9 (D) inch black wooden base. Surface in generally good condition, aside from some surface dirt and dust visible in the crevices throughout.
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

The present lot is a bust of Augustus Edwin John, OM RA (1878 - 1961), a leading British portraitist of the 1920s and member of the Royal Academy. Of John, Epstein wrote: "John sat to me in my Guildford Street studio. I had wanted to do a head of him for some time, and as he had made two etchings of myself and several drawings, I was eager to do him justice...John's head had plenty of dignity, but there was much more to it than that, and I wanted to capture a certain wildness, an untamed quality that is the essence of man" (quoted in Richard Buckle, Jacob Epstein, Sculptor, London, 1963, p. 85).