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Lot Essay
Elisabeth Frink has become celebrated for her canine sculptures; her early interest in dogs informing her favourite subject during the final decades of her life. She was particularly interested in the close relationship between humans and domestic animals, her husband owning Hungarian gun dogs and enjoying first hand this close bond. Cast in 1992, its head cocked, staring up at the viewer, Dog appears to wait for instructions. Captured with a rough sculptural expression, this small-scale Dog retains a playful vitality. Frink’s sympathetic rendering – naturalistic but not over stylised – focuses upon the dog’s character rather than anatomical accuracy. It would be easy for Frink’s depictions of ‘man’s best friend’ to perhaps appear overly-sentimental. ‘It says much for Frink's talent, and for her temperament – her attitude towards the natural world – that she was able to avoid this trap. Her avoidance of it is perhaps the more remarkable considering that some dogs she depicted are scarcely out of puppyhood' (E. Lucie-Smith, Elisabeth Frink, Sculpture Since 1984 and Drawings, London, 1994, p. 190).
Frink's canine sculptures reflect her unwavering position as a popular artist. Clearly the subject matter of dogs has broad appeal; Frink herself recognised this in putting forward her 1992 Dog for a fundraising charity project at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, London. These canine sculptures are now well-recognised for their links to the organisation. The present owner of Dog oversaw the hospital’s fundraising structure in the 1990s. On a flight back from Los Angeles, following negotiation regarding the feature film rights to Hook after the hospital was gifted ownership of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, he found himself sat next to the co-owner of the notable bronze foundry Morris Singer. After an hour of conversation, an idea for a sculpture fundraising project was forged. The owner of the foundry agreed that he would ask Elisabeth Frink and Eduardo Paolozzi to be involved in the project. Realised in 1992, the project proved a great success, launched at The Royal College of Art by Lord Gowrie. In thanks, the present owner was gifted an original cast of the dog. This work proves important not only for Frink’s aptitude for depicting such lively animals but also the history of its conception which is tied so closely with the history of its first owner.
Frink's canine sculptures reflect her unwavering position as a popular artist. Clearly the subject matter of dogs has broad appeal; Frink herself recognised this in putting forward her 1992 Dog for a fundraising charity project at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, London. These canine sculptures are now well-recognised for their links to the organisation. The present owner of Dog oversaw the hospital’s fundraising structure in the 1990s. On a flight back from Los Angeles, following negotiation regarding the feature film rights to Hook after the hospital was gifted ownership of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, he found himself sat next to the co-owner of the notable bronze foundry Morris Singer. After an hour of conversation, an idea for a sculpture fundraising project was forged. The owner of the foundry agreed that he would ask Elisabeth Frink and Eduardo Paolozzi to be involved in the project. Realised in 1992, the project proved a great success, launched at The Royal College of Art by Lord Gowrie. In thanks, the present owner was gifted an original cast of the dog. This work proves important not only for Frink’s aptitude for depicting such lively animals but also the history of its conception which is tied so closely with the history of its first owner.