EUR
CAD
AUD
GBP
MXN
HKD
CNY
MYR
SEK
SGD
CHF
THBSir Jacob Epstein
About Seller
PO Box 2135
Asheville, NC 28802
United States
Based in Asheville, North Carolina, Brunk Auctions has been conducting sales of fine and decorative arts for over 30 years. Auctions are held in our North Carolina sale room but attracts a global audience. Founded by Robert Brunk in 1983, the auctions became well known for their integrity and profes...Read more
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Two ways to bid:
- Leave a max absentee bid and the platform will bid on your behalf up to your maximum bid during the live auction.
- Bid live during the auction and your bids will be submitted real-time to the auctioneer.
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $100 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $200 |
| $3,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
About Auction
LiveMay 17, 2019
Premier Auction - Lots 800-1459Friday, May 17, 2019Auction Begins | 9:00AM EDT | Jewelry Begins 5:00pm EDTAsian Art, Continental, Estate of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Fleischer, British, Private Collection, Highlands, North Carolina, Estate of Dr. Phillip George Memphis, Tennessee, Modern & Craft Brunk Auctions support@brunkauctions.com
View Full Catalog (657)
- Lot Description
(British, 1880-1959)
Monument to William Blake (S. 498), 1956, edition of 3 including the plaster, signed on back of proper right shoulder "Epstein", patinated bronze, 21-1/2 in.
Note:
In 1956, the Blake Society for Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey commissioned Jacob Epstein to create a portrait of the English poet and artist, William Blake (1757-1827). He worked from as many portraits and sketches as he could find. He was also able to procure photographs of the life masks in England's National Portrait Gallery to create the portrait. When the bronze bicentenary bust was unveiled in Westminster Abbey 24 November 1957, not many of the Blake society attended. It is thought they may not have approved of the rather menacing image, but such was the power of the sculptor to forge strongly emotional sculptures.
In Evelyn Silber's book, The Sculpture of Epstein, the publisher notes, "Jacob Epstein (1880-1959), though born in New York, was the most important British sculptor of the early twentieth century. Henry Moore is one among many who have acknowledged the positive role he played in their careers. Yet few artists have roused such passionate controversy over their work or suffered so many vociferous attacks from public and critics alike: charges ranged from obscenity and barbarism to belated romanticism. As Moore neatly put it, 'He took the brickbats . . . and as far as sculpture in this century is concerned, he took them first.' Epstein was a modern pioneer of direct carving and one of the first to collect and appreciate the function and form of primitive sculpture. However, as the author demonstrates in her introduction to Epstein's artistic career, critical hostility and the lack of public commissions made carving and collecting increasingly private obsessions, while his income and fame rested on portraiture. At a period when his traditional, humanistic approach was being superseded by new philosophies and new material, Epstein came to be regarded as one of the few sculptors capable of creating a portrait which was far more than a mere likeness."
The original commission still resides in Westminster Abbey. The original plaster was given by the artist's estate to The Israel Museum in Jerusalem. This bronze is the third that was originally held by the Epstein collector, Edward P. Schinman. It is noted as "unlocated" in Silber's catalogue raisonné.
Exhibited: Leicester Gallery, Exhibition No. 1191, Fifty Years of Bronzes and Drawings by Sir Jacob Epstein (1880-1959), June-July, 1960, no.56
Literature: Silber, Evelyn, and Jacob Epstein. The Sculpture of Epstein: With a Complete Catalogue. 1986, pg. 222, ill.
Buckle, Richard, and Jacob Epstein. Jacob Epstein, Sculptor. London: Faber and Faber, 1963, pg. 400 ill.
See also: https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/william-blake
, Provenance: Ex-collection Mr. Edward P. Schinman; Private North Carolina Collection; From the Collection of Salem Academy and College, Winston-Salem, North CarolinaCondition
verdigris patina, good condition
- Shipping Info
-
In house shipping. Brunk Auctions provides in-house shipping via UPS Ground (signature required) for many items. Brunk Auctions will provide a shipping quote which includes shipping, materials, labor and insurance. Insurance is based on the selling price and premium.
In order to provide an accurate shipping quote please provide the following:
- Shipping address
- Shipping method: if you have a UPS or Fed Ex account # we can bill your account 3rd Party and you can arrange payment for materials, labor and insurance. If you have your own insurance please send a signed waiver of liability.
Shipping arrangements are made only after the invoice is paid. The payment for shipping is a separate charge from payment of your lots.
Sales Tax: If you live in North Carolina and/or pick up from the auction house, and do not have a valid resale tax number on file with us, you MUST pay North Carolina state sales tax. The NC Sales Tax will not apply to any items being shipped out of state (unless the client resides in North Carolina) or to those clients with a resale tax number.
-
- Buyer's Premium
