Henry Moore

M. Knoedler & Co., New York (acquired from the artist)
Acquired from the above in 1962

New York, M. Knoedler & Co., Henry Moore, 1962, no. 2, illustrated in the catalogue

Alan Bowness, ed., Henry Moore, Complete Sculpture 1981-86, vol. 6, London, 1999, no. 186b, illustrations of another cast p. 29 & pls. 19-20

This work is in very good condition. The bronze is sound with an extremely attractive golden patina. The work has been recently expertly restrung with a white elastic string that is nearly identical to the original string which had lost elasticity and broken as a result of age. It has been dyed to match the color of the golden dye used on the original string (a sample of which can be provided upon request). There is very slight wear to the patina around the base and rounded edges and there are a couple of minor superficial surface scratches.
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.

The genesis of Henry Moore’s magnificent series of Stringed Figures, all conceived between 1937 and 1940, is often considered to have been closely bound with Surrealist concerns and aesthetics, particularly with regard to the theme of metamorphosis, although the geometrical purity of his sculpture of this period also demonstrates an undeniable affinity with the contemporaneous work of Naum Gabo and Barbara Hepworth. The artist himself credits his espousal of stringed elements within his sculpture at this time to his discovery of mathematical models at the Science Museum in South Kensington. In an interview in 1962, he declared: “I was fascinated by the mathematical models I saw there, which had been made to illustrate the difference of the form that is halfway between a square and a circle. One model had a square at one end with twenty holes along each side, making eighty holes in all. Through these holes strings were threaded and led to a circle with the same number of holes at the other end... It wasn't the scientific study of these models but the ability to look through the strings as with a bird cage and to see one form within another which excited me” (quoted in John Hedgecoe, ed., Henry Moore, London, 1968, p. 105).

The three curvilinear flights of string that beautifully articulate the negative space created by the cradled bronze form in the present work are the perfect illustration of David Sylvester’s observation that: “The string creates a transparent barrier between the space enclosed within the concaves of the sculpture and the space around the sculpture. Movement of the eye along the length of the strings sharpens awareness of the space the sculpture encloses, especially when one set of strings can be seen through another, so that a counterpoint of movement is created which quickens the vibration of the space” (David Sylvester, Henry Moore(exhibition catalogue), London, Arts Council, Tate Gallery, 1968, p. 105).

Fig. 1 Alternate view of the present lot.