Private Collection, Germany

Galerie Thomas, Munich (a🍬cquireඣd from the above by 1981)

Acquired from the above by th🍎e father of the pres🧸ent owner in March 1988

Munich, Haus der Kunst, Henry Moore, 1960, no. 46, illustrated in the catalogue

Munich, Galerie Thomas, Sammlung Rheingarten, 1981, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Herbert Read, Henry Moore, London, 1965, no. 196, illustration of another cast p. 211

Alan Bowness (ed.), Henry Moore, Sculpture and Drawings - Sculpture 1955-64, London, 🃏1965, vol. III, no. 413, illustration of another cast pls. 38a & 38b

John Hedgecoe & Henry Moore, Henry Moore, London, 1968, illustration of ano🧜ther cast p💮. 235

David Mitchinson (ed.), Henry Moore Sculpture, London, ꦐ1981, no. 141, illustra൲tion of another cast in colour p. 141

 

Rich, mid-brown patina. This sculpture is in very good, original condition. The wooden base was commissioned from John Farnham, Moore's assistant from 1964 to 1986.
"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."

First developed by Moore in the 1930s, the reclining figure is among his most iconic motifs. Moore acknowledged the importance of the form in his œuvre, and described the immense appeal it held for him: ‘The reclining figure gives the most freedom... A reclining figure can recline on any surface. It is free and stable at the same time. It fits in with my belief that sculpture should be permanent, should last for eternity’ (H. Moore quoted in A. Wilkinson, (ed.), Henry Moore: Writings and Conversations, Berkeley, 2002, p. 218). Reclining Figure, cast in 1957, achieves a balance between the implication of peaceful repose and the tangible energy that springs from Moore’s masterful articulation of the subject. The arrangement of the figure also illustrates the wonderful symbiosis of form and space that characterises so much of Moore’s work. This relationship was one that first occurred to Moore when he created his initial reclining figure in 1929. He describes the moment as a key turning point in his work: ‘in my Hornton stone figure there is a big difference, a big change and it also began to have something that my sculpture until then hadn’t had, it began to have forms which really existed and worked against each other and with each other rather than one solid mass that was all crushed and stuck together. This had a freedom and yet kept a stormy strength’ (H. Moore quoted in Ionel Jianou, Henry Moore, Paris, 1968, pp. 28-29).  

He continuously returned to the motif throughout his career, using it as means for exploring new forms of expression. Christa Lichtenstern writes: ‘The reclining figure […] formed a kind of vessel into which Moore poured his most important poetic, compositional, formal and spatial discoveries. The farthest-reaching developments in his art are thus reflected in such figures. In the early period, they demonstrated his belief in the doctrine of direct carving. Later, they embodied his espousal of the surrealist emotionalisation of figure and space. And finally, they became a focus for the analogies between figure and landscape […]. One further innovation explored in the context of this basic theme was the artist’s discovery of rhythm as a constituent force in the generation of form’ (C. Lichtenstern, Henry Moore: Work – Theory – Impact, London, 2008, p. 95).