Henry Moore, O.M., C.H.

Acquired by the grandfather of the present owner

Alan Bowness (ed.), Henry Moore, Sculpture and Drawings, Vol.4, Sculpture 1964-73, Lund Humphries, London, cat. no.418b, p.32, illustrated (another cast);
John Hedgecoe, A Monumental Vision: the Sculpture of Henry Moore, Collins & Brown, London, 1998, cat. no.385, illustrated p.222 (another cast).

Structurally sound. There is very minor surface dirt and dust to the crevices, with some slight signs of very early oxidisation apparent to the front of the figure, and to the crevices of the skirt and base of the chair. This excepting the work appears in excellent overall condition. Housed on a stone base, which itself has one or two very minor nicks and nips to it. 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."

Seated Woman with a Book, conceived in 1956 and cast in 1964, is a small but impressive sculpture. A broad-shouldered and strong-legged woman with delicate hands firmly clasps the book. She is enthroned in a large chair and gazes directly outwards, as if deep in thought. Her small, dainty head, perched on a thick neck, contains just enough suggestion of feminine facial features to engage the viewer in this moment of pensive, weighty solitude.

Moore’s composition dips in and out of abstraction and is a duet of lines and angles. The voluptuous flesh of the woman is interrupted by wrinkles and folds of fabric and the hard angles of the book. While the splat of the chair echoes the sensuous lines of the female figure, the seat is formed from right angles and sharp corners. The woman creates gently sloping lines as she leans forward in her chair, but the composition is anchored in the almost oppressive and overbearing chair, rooted onto the marble slab. During this period, Moore began to play more freely with the interaction between solids and voids and the shapes created by the woman, the chair, and the book demonstrates the aesthetic power of negative space. These tensions are enhanced by the juxtaposition of the undeniable earthiness of this primordial female figure and the comparatively sophisticated activity of reading. Although in subject matter Seated Woman with a Book is a departure from Moore’s more unusual exploration of mother-child relationships, there is an undeniable air of the maternal about the woman as she cradles the book tenderly in her hands.