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Modern British and Irish Art

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Lot 83^AR

Michael Ayrton
(British, 1921-1975)
Laocoön Maze Figure II 35.6 cm. (14 in.) high (including base)

29 May 2013, 14:00 BST

London, New Bond Street

Sold for £13,750 inc. premium

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Michael Ayrton (British, 1921-1975)

Laocoön Maze Figure II
numbered '3/9' and stamped with the Morris Singer Foundry stamp (on the base of the bench)
bronze with a brown patina on a wooden base
35.6 cm. (14 in.) high (including base)
Conceived in 1972

Footnotes

LITERATURE:
Peter Cannon-Brookes, Michael Ayrton; An Illustrated Commentary, City Museums and Art Gallery, Birmingham, 1978, p.129 (another cast ill.b&w)

Ayrton held a fascination with classical mythology and the present work depicts Laocoön. Legend tells that during the Trojan War, he warned his comrades against the wooden horse presented to the city by the Greeks but they disregarded his advice. Frustrated, he threw his sword at the horse and in revenge the goddess Minerva, a Greek supporter, sent sea-serpents to strangle him and his sons. The composition also takes influence from the ancient marble version that stands in the Vatican as flailing arms and legs struggle to keep the snakes at bay.

The present work forms part of the artist's Maze series which explores the concept of the enmeshed figure. Here, the snakes appear to come from within, representing a personal battle.

Additional information

The 29 May sale was the departments most successful auction to date making almost £5m.
Furthermore, it was 90% sold by value with some staggering results achieved for fresh, competitively priced material sourced from private collections. Over half of sold lots soared above their high estimates, indicating that Bonhams is best positioned to secure the best price for your Modern British & Irish Art.
The variety on offer within this genre continues to delight buyers, proven by exceptional results for post-war masters such as Auerbach, Scully, Hockney and Freud whilst the early-mid century examples by Spencer, Lavery, Burra and Moore also exceeded expectation. We were proud to break our own world auction record twice over in the same sale for a pencil drawing by L.S. Lowry. Agecroft Regatta sold for £211,250, pipping The Organ Grinder (£151,250) to the title. The sculpture and Irish content were similarly contended for by the packed saleroom and busy telephones.
The cover lot Garden Path, Cookham Rise by Sir Stanley Spencer fetched an impressive £769,250 while the much admired Oil-bound Puffin by Lucian Freud commanded £385,250 on the day, with both returning to private collections.
We are delighted to now invite consignments for the forthcoming auction on 20 November 2013.
Please contact a member of the department or visit the sale webpage for further information.
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