This auction has ended. View lot details

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

101^AR — Fred Yates (British, 1922-2008) Still Life with Flowers

£2,000 - £3,000

102^AR — Fred Yates (British, 1922-2008) Vase of Flowers

£1,000 - £1,500

103^AR — John Bellany C.B.E., R.A., H.R.S.A., L.L.D.(Lon) (British, 1942-2013) Bouquet in a Floral Jug (unframed)

£6,000 - £8,000

104^AR — John Bratby R.A. (British, 1928-1992) Two Sunflowers

£4,000 - £6,000

105^AR — Philip Sutton R.A. (British, born 1928) Still Life

£800 - £1,200

106^AR — Anne Estelle Rice (American/British, 1887-1959) White Cyclamen (with a further unfinished oil, still life study, on the reverse, by the same hand)

£800 - £1,200

113^AR — Tessa Newcomb (British, born 1955) The Evening after the Visit (together with a further oil on board, Someone's Second Home, by the same hand(2))

£600 - £800

114^AR — Mary Newcomb (British, 1922-2008) Orange Winged Butterfly

£1,000 - £1,500

115^AR — Mary Newcomb (British, 1922-2008) Butterfly

£1,000 - £1,500

116^AR — Mary Newcomb (British, 1922-2008) Yellow Butterfly

£1,000 - £1,500

117^AR — Tessa Newcomb (British, born 1955) Our Field

£800 - £1,200

118^AR — Mary Newcomb (British, 1922-2008) Fishing Boat

£700 - £1,000

119^AR — Alan Lowndes (British, 1921-1978) Cap d'Antibes

£4,000 - £6,000

120^AR — Mary Fedden R.A. (British, 1915-2012) Oasis Pella, Jordan

£4,000 - £6,000

121^AR — Mary Fedden R.A. (British, 1915-2012) Gone Fishing

£1,500 - £2,500

122^AR — Alan Furneaux (British, born 1953) The Bay of St Michael's Mount

£700 - £1,000

Previous Lot

Next Lot

Henry Moore O.M., C.H. (British, 1898-1986) Illustration for a Poem by Herbert Read 28.8 x 22.9 cm. (11 1/4 x 9 in.) (Executed in 1946) image 1

Henry Moore O.M., C.H. (British, 1898-1986) Illustration for a Poem by Herbert Read 28.8 x 22.9 cm. (11 1/4 x 9 in.) (Executed in 1946) image 2

Henry Moore O.M., C.H. (British, 1898-1986) Illustration for a Poem by Herbert Read 28.8 x 22.9 cm. (11 1/4 x 9 in.) (Executed in 1946) image 3

Lot 32^AR

Henry Moore O.M., C.H.
(British, 1898-1986)
Illustration for a Poem by Herbert Read 28.8 x 22.9 cm. (11 1/4 x 9 in.)

Modern British & Irish Art

18 June 2025, 15:00 BST

London, New Bond Street

£20,000 - £30,000

Get shipping quote How to buy

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

How to sell

Looking for a similar item?

Our Modern British & Irish Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.

Find your local specialist

Ask about this lot

Ingram Reid

Director

Tel: +44 20 7468 8297

Ingram.Reid@bonhams.com

Penny Day

Head of UK and Ireland

Tel: +44 20 7468 8366

Penny.Day@bonhams.com

Christopher Dawson

Head of Department

Tel: +44 20 7468 8296

Christopher.Dawson@bonhams.com

Grace Berry

Associate Specialist

Tel: +44 20 3988 6460

grace.berry@bonhams.com

Henry Moore O.M., C.H. (British, 1898-1986)

Illustration for a Poem by Herbert Read
pencil, wax crayon, watercolour, gouache, pen and ink
28.8 x 22.9 cm. (11 1/4 x 9 in.)
Executed in 1946

Footnotes

Provenance
Merlyn Evans
Anthony Bell
Sale; Bonhams, London, 1 April 1993, lot 37 (part lot)
With The Piccadilly Gallery, London, 4 December 2000, (as Composition for a Poem by Herbert Read), where acquired by the present owner
Private Collection, U.K.

Literature
Ann Garrould (ed.), Henry Moore: Volume 3, Complete Drawings 1940-49, The Henry Moore Foundation in association with Lund Humphries, Much Hadham and Aldershot, 2001, pp.252-253, cat.no.AG 46.82, HMF 2324a (ill.b&w)

The present lot is one of a series of works executed by Moore at the request of the poet and critic Sir Herbert Read to illustrate Read's poem, '1945'. Read suggested that Moore include 'dark clouds, text, cliffs, waves, figures fleeing over sands', and the results are reminiscent of the Kentish coast close to where Moore had lived. Few of these works have ever appeared on the market, with examples from the series residing in both the Paul Mellon Collection at the Yale Center for British art, and the collection of the Henry Moore Foundation. The poem in full reads:

They came running over the perilous sands
Children with their golden eyes
Crying: Look! We have found samphire
Holding out their bone-ridden hands.
It might have been the spittle of wrens
Or the silver nest of a squirrel
For I was invested with the darkness
Of an ancient quarrel whose omens
Lay scatter'd on the silted beach.
The children came running towards me
But I saw only the waves behind them
Cold, salt and disastrous
Lift their black banners and break
Endlessly, without resurrection.

Additional information

This auction is now finished. If you are interested in consigning in future auctions, please contact the specialist department. If you have queries about lots purchased in this auction, please contact client services.
Buyers' Obligations
ALL BIDDERS MUST AGREE THAT THEY HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD BONHAMS' CONDITIONS OF SALE AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THEM, AND AGREE TO PAY THE BUYER'S PREMIUM AND ANY OTHER CHARGES MENTIONED IN THE NOTICE TO BIDDERS. THIS AFFECTS THE BIDDERS LEGAL RIGHTS.
If you have any questions about the Conditions of Sale, please contact your nearest client services team.
From 28 June 2025, the import into the EU of non-EU property of a certain age (and in some categories above a certain value) is subject to additional requirements. Under the relevant EU Regulation, it is the Buyer's sole responsibility to assess whether any Lot meets the criteria for import into the EU. The refusal of any required Import Licence or Importer Statement, or any delay in obtaining such Licence or Statement shall not give rise to the rescission or cancellation of any Sale, nor allow any delay in making full payment for the Lot.
Buyers' Premium and Charges
For all Sales categories, buyer's premium excluding Cars, Motorbikes, Wine, Whisky and Coin & Medal sales, will be as follows:
Buyer's Premium Rates
28% on the first £40,000 of the hammer price;
27% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of £40,000 up to and including £800,000;
21% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of £800,000 up to and including £4,500,000;
and 14.5% of the hammer price of any amounts in excess of £4,500,000.
A 3rd party bidding platform fee of 4% of the Hammer Price for Buyers using the following bidding platforms will be added to the invoices of successful Buyers for auctions starting on or after 6th July 2024 – Invaluable; Live Auctioneers; The Saleroom; Lot-tissimo.
VAT at the current rate of 20% will be added to the Buyer's Premium and charges excluding Artists Resale Right.
Payment Notices
For payment information please refer to the sale catalog.
Shipping Notices
For information and estimates on domestic and international shipping as well as export licenses please contact Bonhams Shipping Department.
- Modern British & Irish Art