Lynn Chadwick, a leading Twentieth century Modern British sculptor, developed a wholly unique visual language for the human figure. Having first worked with hand welding, Chadwick began casting his sculptures in bronze in 1956 to give his works durability and a more standardised surface. Yet, it wasn’t until the 1970s that Chadwick created the identity for his figures that has become synonymous with his work. This style was rooted in his female figures having triangular heads and male rectangular.

In the 1950s Chadwick first began to work with a subject which occupied him for most of his career – a pair of figures. By working with couples Chadwick could play with how each held their own space whilst interacting. This allowed for a new level of dynamism within his sculpture and the opportunity to explore relationships. In 1991, the year he created ‘Second Stairs’, Chadwick commented how “the important thing in my figures is always the attitude - what the figures are expressing through their actual stance. They talk, as it were, and this is something a lot of people don't understand”.

Chadwick began his ‘Stairs’ series in 1990, creating different iterations such as a couple on three steps (as seen in the present sculpture), a spiral staircase or individual figure in the wind. In all these works, he only depicted female figures. Chadwick played with the scale of these works, with the largest in the series, also from 1991, now on display in Bishopsgate in London as part of the Sculpture in the City initiative.