Jeffrey Loria & Co. Ltd., New York 
Gallery Kasahara, Osaka (acquired from the above)
Acquired from the above

Curt Valentin, Henry Moore Sculpture and Drawings, New York, 1949, no. 106d, illustration of another cast
Robert Melville, Henry Moore Sculpture and Drawings 1921-1969, London, 1970, no. 345, illustration of another cast
David Mitchinson, ed., Henry Moore Sculpture, London, 1981, no. 173, illustration of another cast p. 94
David Sylvester, ed., Henry Moore: Complete Sculpture 1921-48, vol. I, London, 1988, no. 241, illustration of another cast p. 148

Golden brown patina. Some minor acretions in deepest crevices, otherwise fine. Work is in excellent condition.
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.

In Two Seated Women and a Child, Moore uses his typical soft curves and relaxed poses to explore the human form and the interplay between the figures. During the time Moore created the present work, he was also designing other Family Group works of various sizes in similar seated poses. The origin of this series can be traced back to Moore’s exploration of the subject of Mother and Child. The artist once stated, “There are two particular motives or subjects which I have constantly used in my sculpture in the last twenty years; they are the Reclining Figure idea and the Mother and Child idea. (Perhaps of the two the Mother and Child has been the more fundamental obsession)” (quoted in Franco Russoli, Henry Moore Sculpture (exhibition catalogue), Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona, 1981, p. 90). 

Moore’s focus on the concept of maternity expanded as he began experimenting with the inclusion of additional figures, resulting in the creation of the Family Group works. Created in 1945, this work also reflects a significant time in Moore’s own personal life: “While still working on these groups Moore’s daughter Mary was born and the theme of the family became an obsession” (David Mitchinson, Henry Moore: Unpublished Drawings, New York, p. XIV).

According to Will Grohmann, the Family Group works marked an important point in Moore’s oeuvre: “With the Family Group theme Moore regained his freedom since the commissions received were less restricting. He started working on these groups at about the same time as the Madonna. In the years 1944 to 1947 he produced a number of larger and smaller variations in stone, bronze and terracotta, differing considerably from one another, being both naturalistic and non-naturalistic, though never as ‘abstract’ as the Reclining Figures. The theme does not hem him in, but demands a certain readiness to enter into the meaning of a community such as a family” (Will Grohmann, The Art of Henry Moore, New York, 1960, p. 141).