Alexander Munro

Overall the condition of the reliefs is very good with some minor wear and dirt to the surface consistent with age. There is a small chip to the wing tip of the live dove and a restoration to the edge on the top right of the relief with Eva looking away. There are some minor stable naturally occurring hairline fissures to the frames, some of which have been filled and the relief with the live dove has three stable hairline fissures to the left, top and right edges. The reliefs have been set into the frames with help of plaster on the reverse. There are metal profiles inlaid to the reverse of the frame which are oxidised. There are small chips to the back of the top corners of the frame.
"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."

‘Wings are such beautiful creations that I think they should be ever thought of with flowers and stars.’
-Alexander Munro

Munro was drawn to the romantic aspects of nature, and took great delight in including birds, flowers and stars in his whimsical portraits. These beautiful and sensitively rendered reliefs of young Eva Butler tenderly embracing a dove demonstrate Munro’s affinity for portraying women and children. It was through such works that he found a sense of freedom from formality. The present reliefs illustrate his tendency to break out of the confines of the round or oval perimeter of his portraits: the wings of the dove appear to flutter onto the border. During the 1850’s Munro spent a great deal of time in Oxford where he stayed with the Butlers, and in time he produced three portraits of Josephine Butler and three of her daughter Eva. Without being commissioned to do so, Munro seems to have sent one of his versions of Eva to the Butlers soon after her tragic death. This sentiment suggests that creating the reliefs was a personal endeavour for Munro, which is demonstrated in the accuracy of the physiognomy and the fine and gentle carving of the little girl's features.

RELATED LITERATURE
B. Read and J. Barnes, Pre-Raphaelite Sculpture. Nature and imagination in British sculpture 1848-1914, London, 1991, pp. 59-60, pl. 3.