Philip C. Duschnes, New York, where acquired by the previous owner, 7th January 1970
Sale, Sotheby's London, 28th September 1994, lot 20 (part lot), where acquired by David Bowie

The sheet is sound and not laid down. There are Artist's pinholes in the upper left and lower right corners. There is a small fold and crease in the lower right corner, with a small associated loss to the sheet. There are some small spots of staining to the work and further light spots of foxing. There is a light layer surface dirt and a few light handling marks. Subject to the above the work is in good overall condition, with strong fresh passages of medium. The work is window mounted and presented within a simple wood frame under glass. 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."

Together with a pencil study of a mother and child by the same hand.

Study for Sculpture, Ratcliffe College

In February 1935 Gill received a commission from Father O’Malley of Ratcliffe College, a boy’s public school in Leicester, for sculptures of Christ and the Virgin Mary. In March, Gill visited the College to discuss the commission and on 1ജ5th August made this drawing for the figure of the Virgin Mary. On 29th and 30th October he made ‘new designs for the Ratcliffe Madonna’, depicting the Virgin in a robe and a hooded cloak; the present work shows the version that he went on to carve in January 1936.

The sheet 🔴bears a Latin inscription taken from Ecclesiasticus, cp. 24, v.24, which translates: ‘I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope'. The Latin inscription that Gill carved on the second version reads: ‘Mary, conceived without original sin, pray for us’. The reason for the change in Mary’s clothing, pose and inscription is not known, but probably stems from guidance given by Father O’Malley.

Study of a Mother and Child

Late in 1909 Gill, who made his living from letter-cutting, turned his attention to the creation of small stone sculptures. Over the course of 1910 he made a series of Mother and Child groups, partly in celebration of the fact that his wife gave birth to their third daughter, Joanna, on 1st February that year. However, the gender of the baby in thes😼e sculptures is male, and the group is also a covert reference to the Madonna and Child. All show the mother and baby naked, although this drawing has indications of fabric covering the mother’s legs.

When Gill showed o🍌ne Mother and Child group at his first ever sculpture exhibition at the Chenil Gallery, Chelsea in January 1911, the art critic Roger Fry praised the work: ‘has anyone ever looked more directly at the real thing and seen its pathetic animalism as Gill has? Merely to🅰 have seen what the gesture of pressing the breast with the left hand means, as he has, seems to me a piece of deep imagination.’  That gesture features in this drawing, which may have been partly drawn from life.

We are grateful to Ruth Cribb for her kind assistance with the cataloguing of💫 the present work and Judy Collins for her catalogue notes on these two works.