Itzhak Danziger

There is a loss on the rear-most left leg of the right sheep and a slightly larger loss to the front-most leg of the left sheep. The works are in very good condition otherwise.
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.

Itzhak Danziger was born in Berlin in 1916 and moved to Palestine in 1923.  He is considered to be one of Israel's most important sculptors and was awarded the Sandberg prize by the Israel Museum in 1969. 

While participating in the reconnaissance missions in the Negev during World War II, Danziger was inspired to express the harmony between the desert landscape and the sheep which inhabited the land alongside the desert people.  He explained "A flock of sheep resembles a carpet, something which glides down the hill and covers the ground, the slope of the valley...Sheep are symbols, models. Through the sheep I reach what interests me, the soil, light and shade. Sheep resemble the tent of the Bedouin. The legs of the sheep are the poles of the tent; sheep are moving sculpture" (excerpts from an interview with Itzhak Danziger, 1963, in Siman Kria (Literary Quarterly), 8, Tel Aviv, 1977, p. 365.)  A larger version of this work is held in the colleciton of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.