† Sir Jacob Epstein (1880-1959), a lead maquette of The Mado...

Estimate

£6,000 - £8,000

† Sir Jacob Epstein (1880-1959), a lead maquette of The Madonna and Child, marked Epstein verso, 34 cm overall height x 15 cm overall width. Ex lot 159, Christie's Modern British and Irish Art, South Kensington, Friday 12th of December 2014. The full-size lead work can be seen at The Convent of the Holy Child commissioned after the bomb damage to their premises on Cavendish Square, London, was rebuilt. At the time the Mother Superior and nuns thought it appropriate that the sculpture that was commissioned to adorn their redesigned and rebuilt premises should be undertaken by a Catholic artist and initially rejected the proposed work on cost but, the work went ahead funded by a consortium of patrons including Epstein himself, Interestingly the lead used in the finished work and presumably these maquettes is thought to have come from salvaged lead from the roof of the convent that was mostly destroyed by WWII bombing. For other maquettes of this work sold at auction please see the links below: Christie's Bonhams Literature: R. Buckle, Jacob Epstein Sculpture, London, 1963, p. 343, pl. 534, another cast illustrated. Exhibition catalogue, Jacob Epstein, Rye, Art Gallery, 1965, n.p., no. 19, another cast illustrated. Exhibition catalogue, The Works of Sir Jacob Epstein from the Collection of Mr. Edward P. Schinman, New Jersey, Fairleigh Dickinson University, 1967, pp. 95, 103, another cast illustrated. E. Silber, The Sculpture of Epstein, Oxford, 1986, pp. 208-209, no. 437, another cast illustrated.