Henry Moore
Reclining Mother and Child I, 1979
Bronze
4 x 8 x 3 3/8 in
10 x 20.3 x 8.5 cm (including base)
10 x 20.3 x 8.5 cm (including base)
Inscribed 'Moore' and numbered '8/9'
Conceived in 1979 and cast by Fiorini Ltd. as number 8 in an edition of 9 plus 1 AC
Conceived in 1979 and cast by Fiorini Ltd. as number 8 in an edition of 9 plus 1 AC
In 1979 Moore created a series of four ‘Reclining Mother and Child’ sculptures, with the figures in different positions. The present sculpture is the first iteration from this group. These...
In 1979 Moore created a series of four ‘Reclining Mother and Child’ sculptures, with the figures in different positions. The present sculpture is the first iteration from this group. These works are important in their merging of two of Moore’s most favoured themes – the mother and child and the reclining figure.
In ‘Reclining Mother and Child I’ the child playfully clambers onto its mother, whilst the mother’s arms protectively cocoon and guide the child. Both figures have been elegantly simplified to their elementary shapes. Moore was particularly drawn to the balance between internal and external forms, suggesting the relationship between “an outer protection to an inner form” is like the relationship between a mother and a child.
To accompany this group of sculptures Moore also produced a suite of drawings by the same title. In these works he places the figures in different environments, some empty aside from washes of colour and others in landscapes with hills in the distance.
In ‘Reclining Mother and Child I’ the child playfully clambers onto its mother, whilst the mother’s arms protectively cocoon and guide the child. Both figures have been elegantly simplified to their elementary shapes. Moore was particularly drawn to the balance between internal and external forms, suggesting the relationship between “an outer protection to an inner form” is like the relationship between a mother and a child.
To accompany this group of sculptures Moore also produced a suite of drawings by the same title. In these works he places the figures in different environments, some empty aside from washes of colour and others in landscapes with hills in the distance.
Provenance
Private Collection (acquired from the artist)Christie's, London, 22 June 1993, Lot 225
Private Collection, Europe (acquired from the above sale)
Private Collection, Hong Kong
Literature
A. Bowness, Henry Moore: Sculpture and Drawings, 1974-80, Vol. V, Lund Humphries Publishers, London, 1983, no.778, pl.182, p. 45, illus. of another cast