Draped seated woman
(1958)
Medium
bronze
Measurements
224.1 × 244.0 × 183.2 cm (overall)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1960
© Henry Moore/DACS, London. Licensed by Copyright Agency, Australia
Gallery location
Grimwade Gardens
Ground Level, NGV International
About this work
Henry Moore’s Draped seated woman is related to a commission that he received to create a sculpture to be placed outside the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Ultimately, another work by Moore was installed on the site. Nonetheless, the monumentality of this figure, its upright pose, and expression of alertness, all give this sculpture a sense of guardianship that would have also made it eminently suitable for that role. All of Moore’s female figures have a strong presence. Many evoke a maternal or ‘Mother Earth’ sensibility, even
when no child is included in the mother’s embrace. In 1986, the year in which he died, Moore wrote of his preoccupation with this subject, which he related to his early study of Neolithic carvings of the mother and child. His belief in the ‘mother and child’ as a universal theme guided his obsession. Moore had many works cast in bronze, which would seem at first to go against his commitment to direct carving. He recognized, however, that the durability and strength of bronze made it perfectly suitable for large outdoor sculptures. Bronze also allowed him to achieve quite delicate details, which the brittle nature
of stone would not permit. He liked to carve into his plaster and clay models after they hardened, before the bronze casting, and this figure has many rough, hand-incised lines in the drapery from this process. Only six versions of this bronze were cast, under Henry Moore’s supervision. This cast was acquired directly from the
artist in 1960.
Artwork Details
Inscription
cast (diagonally) in rear l.c.: Moore
Accession Number
173-D5
Department
International Sculpture
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited