Dame Elisabeth Frink, R.A.

Waddington & Tooth Galleries, London, where acquired by the previous owner, November 1976
Their sale, Christie's London, 12th November 2009, lot 22

London, Waddington & Tooth Galleries, Elisabeth Frink: Recent Sculpture, 30th November - 22nd December 1976, un-numbered catalogue.

Jill Willder (ed.), Elisabeth Frink Sculpture Catalogue Raisonné, Harpvale, Salisbury, 1984, cat. no.232, illustrated p.187 (another cast);
Annette Ratuszniak (ed.), Elisabeth Frink: Catalogue Raisonné of Sculpture 1947-93, Lund Humphries, Farnham, 2013, cat. no.FCR261, illustrated p.135 (another cast).

The sculpture is sound. There are some very small areas of rubbing to the protruding elements, and some rubbing to those parts of the underside of the base where the bronze rests. There is some minor oxidisation to the underside in places. There are a few small traces of white matter in places, possibly casting residue, and there is light surface dirt in the crevices of the bronze. Subject to the above the work is in very good overall condition, with a rich deep patina. The sculpture is freestanding. Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 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."

Frink had a thorough understanding of the nature of horses and worked on the theme of horses lying down from the early 1970s, capturing the subtle nuances of the animals’ changing poses and positions as well as their very personable nature. Having been brought up in rural Suffolk, Frink moved to the south of France in 1967 where she was inspired by the wild, indigenous Camargue horses.

The Horse in the Rain series occupied the artist for a little under a decade, with the present work being the earliest in the series. In these studies, Frink tenderly captured the animal’s resignation to a steady downpour, using a rough edged technique that is indebted to Degas’ bronze studies. This is not an academic approach with the aim of anatomical exactitude, but rather a pared down, spontaneous description of the animal’s very essence, as the artist herself explains:

‘If you love animals you have to have some sort of sympathy with the way they are or exist, and how we treat them. If I'm sculpting animals I don't want to oversentimentalise them because one can be very sentimental about that part of our life. I'd find it a very sad life without animals: we need them, that's the awful thing ... This is another reason why I'm not a true animal sculptor. The animals I make are far more what I feel about them than what they are in real life ... I'm much more interested in the spirit of the animal. I get into the inside of the animal, and the outside takes care of itself' (The Artist, Edward Lucie-Smith and Elisabeth Frink, Frink: A Portrait, Bloomsbury, London, 1994, pp.121-23).