Lot Essay
The present work, painted in 1953, was a gift from the artist to Sir Michael Tippett. Hepworth first met the composer in 1952 when they were working on the idea of the St Ives Festival of Music and in 1954 Tippett asked her to design the sets for his opera The Midsummer Marriage. The artist was inspired by the allegorical meaning and symbolism of the music and produced Gaboesque curved and spoked constructions for the ballet Ritual Dance.