George Bernard Shaw

Details

Sir Jacob Epstein (1880-1959)
George Bernard Shaw
signed 'Epstein' (on the back of the neck)
bronze with a green patina
16½ in. (42 cm.) high, excluding composite base
Conceived in 1934.

Provenance

with Waddington Gallery, Dublin, circa 1958.
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 2 March 1979, lot 117, where purchased by the present owner.

Literature

R. Buckle, Jacob Epstein Sculptor, London, 1963, pp. 210-11, no. 323, another cast illustrated.
E. Silber, The Sculpture of Epstein, Oxford, 1986, p. 178, no. 253, another cast illustrated.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

Epstein said of the piece, 'I think there are in it elements so subtle that they would be difficult to explain. Shaw sat on condition that I was commissioned to do the work. He thought I ought to benefit materially and not just do his bust for its own sake. Orage arranged a commission for me from Mrs Blanche Grant, an American. Shaw sat with exemplary patience and even eagerness. He walked to my studio every day, and was punctual and conscientious' (R. Buckle, op. cit., p. 260).

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