Standing female figure holding a glass pitcher, circa 1877

This painting provides fascinating insights into Moore's working methods. It almost certainly began as a preliminary study for one of his most important pictures, Birds (Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery), a nearly life-size painting exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery in 1878. Moore often worked up his smaller and more spontaneous studies as independent works of art. The setting of this painting is structured similarly to that in Birds, and the glass pitcher held by the woman is reminiscent of the crystal vase in that picture. However, the pose of the figure is unique, and quite different from the one Moore adopted in the final canvas.

The pansy-patterned drapery hanging in the background of this painting is an actual studio prop that appears in half a dozen other works executed by Moore during the 1875-83 period, including Pansies (1875), The End of the Story (1877), Forget-me-nots (1881), and Kingcups (1883). Moore reportedly acquired many of the richly patterned fabrics that appear in his paintings from Arthur Lazenby Liberty, founder of Liberty & Co.

By the late 1870's Moore had perfected his purely formal approach to figurative subjects, detached from narrative association. The rich linear patterns and subtle colour harmonies in this painting exemplify the meticulous arrangements through which he sought to convey beauty and mood. The purity of Moore's aim made him a leading figure in the Aesthetic Movement and a harbinger of abstraction in British art.

We are grateful to Robyn Asleson for her help in the preparation of this catalogue entry.