拍品專文
William Simmonds began his artistic training under Walter Crane at the Royal College of Art, and later travelled to America as assistant to Edwin Austin Abbey. The pre-raphaelite influence for legend, theatre and storytelling persisted throughout his life, and fused with his increasing passion for sculpture resulted in the Simmonds' puppet theatre, one of only three in England during the 1920s (see illustration).
The similarity in style between his work and that of Japanese carving is very evident in his small 'netsuke' carvings, executed on his travels throughout the war and sent to his wife in matchboxes. The reduction of form in this lot is also a basic element of Japanese art and is combined with a perfectionism, based on Simmond's characteristic detailed observation, exemplified in the carving of the hooves on the base.
See: Mary Greensted, op. cit., pp. 110-121
The similarity in style between his work and that of Japanese carving is very evident in his small 'netsuke' carvings, executed on his travels throughout the war and sent to his wife in matchboxes. The reduction of form in this lot is also a basic element of Japanese art and is combined with a perfectionism, based on Simmond's characteristic detailed observation, exemplified in the carving of the hooves on the base.
See: Mary Greensted, op. cit., pp. 110-121