Details
Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (1891-1915)
Firebird (The Russian Ballet)
signed 'H Gaudier/Brzeska' (on the base)
bronze with a mid-brown patina
25 in. (63.5 cm.) high
Conceived in June - July 1912.
Provenance
with Leicester Galleries, London.
Mrs Rosemary Peto, by whom donated to the Friends of the Courtauld Institute.
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 4 June 1971, lot 149 (1400 gns. to Leese).
Literature
H. Brodzky, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, London, 1933, p. 36, another cast illustrated.
H.S. Ede, Savage Messiah, London, 1931, p. 156.
M. Levy (intro.), Gaudier-Brzeska Drawings and Sculpture, London, 1965, no. 73, pl. 73, probably another cast illustrated.
E. Silber and D. Finn, Gaudier-Brzeska Life and Art, London, 1996, no. 18, pls. 11-12.
Exhibited
Leeds, Temple Newsam, Roy de Maistre, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, June - August 1943, no. 62.
Leeds, Arts Council of Great Britain, Temple Newsam, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska Exhibition of Sculpture and Drawings, June - August 1956, no. 2.
Edinburgh, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska Sculptures, August - September 1972, no. 13: this exhibition toured to Leeds, City Art Gallery, September - October 1972; and Cardiff, National Museum of Wales, October - November 1972.
Special notice
Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.