Private Collection, Philadelphia
Acquired from the above Estate by the present owner

London, Marlborough Fine Art, Henry Moore 85th Birthday Exhibition, 15th June - 13th August 1983, cat. no.67 (another cast).

Alan Bowness, Henry Moore Complete Sculpture, 1980-1986, Vol. 6, Lund Humphries, London, 1986, cat. no.876, illustrated p.54 (another cast);
John Hedgecoe, Henry Moore: A Monumental Vision, Evergreen, 2005, cat. no.202, illustrated p.244 (another cast).

The sculpture appears sound. There is some extremely minor rubbing to some of the protruding edges of the work. There appears to be one or two tiny casting imperfections to the extreme edges of the bronze base. There are some minor traces of oxidisation, and some light surface dirt in the pitted areas of the work and on the woman's lap. Subject to the above, the work appears to be in very good overall condition, with a rich patina. The work is affixed with two bolts to a polished stone base. Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"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."

The theme of a Mother and Child was one of Moore’s most important and lasting motifs, which he explored throughout the course of his long and expansive career. It penetrated deep into the heart of his sculptures, works on paper and prints, from 1920s onwards, through to his final flourish, as the 'grand old man' of British sculpture in the 1980s.

As Moore himself wrote in 1979, 'The “Mother and Child” idea is one of my two or three obsessions, one of my inexhaustible subjects. This may have something to do with the fact that the ‘Madonna and Child’ was so important in the art of the past and that one loves the old masters and has learned so much from them. But the subject itself is eternal and unending, with so many sculptural possibilities in it – a small form in relation to a big form, the big form protecting the small one, and so on. It is such a rich subject, both humanly and compositionally, that I will always go on using it.’ (The Artist, quoted in Alan Wilkinson (ed.), Henry Moore: Writings and Conversations, University of California Press, Berkeley, 2002♈, p.213)

In Western culture, the image of a 'Mother and Child'  is inextricably linked to religious ideas, and whilst this was certainly the case in some works (such as his first major public commission, the Northampton Madonna), for Moore it extended 🍒beyond such religiꦺous confines to represent ideas of fertility and creation, life and death, growth and survival.

When London was the subject of heavy bombing during the War, Moore sought refuge in the Underground stations alongside thousands of his fellow Londoners. Here he produced some of the most evocative works created about the conflict, with figures huddled together for comfort, safely and a sense of reassurance. In these Shelter Drawings children and babies played a pivotal role – reminding Britons that there was hope for tomorrow, and💦, at times, just what it was that they🔯 were fighting for.

This idea of hope and the importance of children became particularly noticeable in Moore’s oeuvre after the birth of his daughter Mary in 1946, and in the present work one sees not a babe in arms, but a small infant, alert and awake. Seated Woman Holding Child beautifully embodie🌼s the many thoughts and ideas that Moore had previously explored within the subject; ideas which, by the 1980s took on a newly stylised and abstracted symbolism, seen here in the sharp, faceted face of the mother. Yet, despite th⭕is artistic paring-back, the symbolism remains no less emotive, and certainly no less personal, rather it remains an ageless symbol of an artists’ hope and faith in humanity.