Lot 113
  • 113

HENRI GAUDIER-BRZESKA | Duck

Estimate
15,000 - 25,000 GBP
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Description

  • Henri Gaudier-Brzeska
  • Duck
  • bronze
  • width: 12cm.; 4¾in.
  • Conceived in 1914, with 14 bronzes cast for H. S. Ede by Fiorini from the green marble original between 1964-8, with 1 separate casting in lead on behalf of H.S. Ede.

Provenance

H.S. Ede, by whom gifted to the family of the previous owners circa 1965
Their sale, Sotheby's London, 12th July 2013, lot 108, where acquired by the present owner

Exhibited

London, Arts Council of Great Britain, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, An Exhibition of Sculpture, Pastels and Drawings, 1956, cat. no.25 (marble version);
Orléans, Musée des Beaux Arts d'Orléans, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, March - April 1956, cat. no.5 (marble version);
London, Marlborough Fine Art, Gaudier-Brzeska, February 1965, cat. no.96 (another bronze cast);
Bielefeld, Bielefeld Kunsthalle, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska 1891-1915, 1969, cat. no.11 (another bronze cast);
London, Hayward Gallery, Vorticism and Its Allies, 27th March - 2nd June 1974, (marble version);
Cambridge, Kettle's Yard, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, Sculptor, 15th October - 20th November 1983, cat. no.67, illustrated (marble version), with Arts Council tour to City of Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Bristol; and York City Art Gallery, York;
Edinburgh, Mercury Gallery, Gaudier-Brzeska Drawings and Sculpture, 30th March - 28th April 1984, cat. no.9 (another bronze cast);
Orléans, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, June - September 1993, cat. no.37 (marble version);
Paris, Centre Pompidou, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska dans les Collections du Centre Pompidou, Musée National d'Art Moderne, 24th June - 14th September 2009, cat. no.54, illustrated (another bronze cast), with tour to Musée des Beaux Arts d'Orléans, Orléans.

Literature

A.M. Hammacher, Modern English Sculpture, Thames & Hudson, London, 1967, p.54, illustrated (another bronze cast);
Richard Cork, Vorticism and Abstract Art in the First Machine Age, Volume II, Synthesis and Decline, London, 1976, pp.433-34, illustrated (marble version);
Roger Cole, Burning to Speak, The Life and Art of Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, Phaidon, Oxford, 1978, cat. no.55, p.108, illustrated (marble version);
Roger Cole, Gaudier-Brzeska, Artists and Myth, Sansom & Company, Bristol, 1995, illustrated pl.32 (another bronze cast);
Evelyn Silber, Gaudier-Brzeska, Life and Art, Thames and Hudson, London, 1996, cat. no.90, p.272, illustrated pl.132 (marble version).

Condition

The sculpture appears to be sound. There are a couple of extremely light scratches to the surface, only visible upon close inspection. There is an inconsistent pattern of oxidisation across the surface, and in some of the pits casting residue is evident. There are a small number of tiny casting imperfections and pits. There is some extremely light rubbing to some of the extremities. This excepting the work appears to be in excellent overall condition. The work 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."

Catalogue Note

We are grateful to Roger Cole, whose publication on Henri Gaudier-Brzeska No Stone Unturned will be published later this year with a newly revised catalogue raisonné, for his kind assistance with the cataloguing of the present work.

Duck was one of a number of small sculptures created by Gaudier as' hand held gifts' for friends in return for their help and kindness. An unlimited edition of replica casts in Crystacal plaster has also been produced exclusively for Kettle's Yard, using moulds taken from a bronze cast in the Kettles Yard Collection.