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Modern British and Irish Art

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Lot 90^*,AR

Dame Elisabeth Frink R.A.
(British, 1930-1993)
Dead Leveret (Dead Rabbit) 101.4 cm. (39 3/4 in.) high (including base)

29 May 2013, 14:00 BST

London, New Bond Street

£25,000 - £35,000

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Dame Elisabeth Frink R.A. (British, 1930-1993)

Dead Leveret (Dead Rabbit)
bronze with a brown patina on a steel base
101.4 cm. (39 3/4 in.) high (including base)
Plaster conceived circa 1954, bronze cast 9 April 1956 at the Galizia & Sons Foundry, London, unique

Footnotes

PROVENANCE:
Hon. Robert Erskine
Sale; Sotheby's, London, 27 June 1979, lot 151 (as Leveret), where acquired by the present owner

EXHIBITED:
London, St. George's Gallery, Elisabeth Frink, May-June 1955, cat.no.3 (as Dead Rabbit, plaster cast exhibited)

LITERATURE:
Jill Wilder, Elisabeth Frink Sculpture; Catalogue Raisonné, Harpvale, London, 1984, p.141, cat.no.19 (as Dead Rabbit), listed as whereabouts unknown)
Annette Ratuszniak, Elisabeth Frink; Catalogue Raisonné of Sculpture 1947-93, Lund Humphries, Farnham, 2013, p.49, cat.no.24 (ill.b&w)

In the years following the end of World War II, Dame Elisabeth Frink became preoccupied with the after-effects of such violence and aggression. She embarked on a series of bronzes depicting animals either in their death throes or already dead, reflecting her concern. Several of these victims appear to contort in an apparent display of agony. Dead Cat, dating from the same year as the present work, is one such work. Although never cast in bronze, the lost plaster is known from an image and shows the writhing animal in an expression of twisted defeat. Dead Hen (1957), a cast of which is in the Tate Collection, is another. Dead Leveret (Dead Rabbit) however, by contrast exhibits a certain degree of peace. There is something of a tender poignancy in the way the rabbit's small paws are tethered together and the manner in which the limp body and ears are quietly suspended. These expressionist sculptures from the 1950s were partly informed by French sculptor Germaine Richier and also relate to the still life paintings of Soutine.

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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