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Previous Lot
Samuel William Ward Willis (British, 1870-1948): A patinated bronze equestrian figure of Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig The figure apparently a reduction cast from the marquette of an unrealised monumental commission image 1
Samuel William Ward Willis (British, 1870-1948): A patinated bronze equestrian figure of Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig The figure apparently a reduction cast from the marquette of an unrealised monumental commission image 2
Samuel William Ward Willis (British, 1870-1948): A patinated bronze equestrian figure of Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig The figure apparently a reduction cast from the marquette of an unrealised monumental commission image 3
Samuel William Ward Willis (British, 1870-1948): A patinated bronze equestrian figure of Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig The figure apparently a reduction cast from the marquette of an unrealised monumental commission image 4
Samuel William Ward Willis (British, 1870-1948): A patinated bronze equestrian figure of Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig The figure apparently a reduction cast from the marquette of an unrealised monumental commission image 5
Lot 148TP

Samuel William Ward Willis (British, 1870-1948): A patinated bronze equestrian figure of Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig
The figure apparently a reduction cast from the marquette of an unrealised monumental commission

Fine Decorative Arts
1 July 2025, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £2,560 inc. premium

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Samuel William Ward Willis (British, 1870-1948): A patinated bronze equestrian figure of Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig

The figure apparently a reduction cast from the marquette of an unrealised monumental commission
The figure dressed in full military uniform, his right hand raised to his temple in salute, , raised on shallow naturalistic rectangular plinth, signed and dated S W Ward Willis, 1934, within the cast to the front right-hand corner, mounted on a moulded stained wood plinth, the bronze, 35cm high, 34cm wide, 10.5cm deep approximately, the plinth, 6.3cm high, 31.5cm wide, 13.5cm deep £2,000 - 3,000 €2,400 - 3,600 US$2,700 - 4,100

Footnotes

Samuel William Ward Willis was a British sculptor known for his evocative equine subjects, commemorative works, and his association with the New Sculpture movement. Born in Paddington, London, he was the son of Samuel J. Willis, a draper from Southampton. He studied at the West London School of Art before continuing his training at the Royal Academy Schools.

Willis established his career in London, working from Belsize Studios in Hampstead. His sculptural style was influenced by the naturalism of Rodin, and he shared the ideals of the New Sculpture movement. His closest friend was the sculptor Francis Derwent Wood.

He was elected a member of the Royal Society of British Sculptors and exhibited widely, including nineteen works shown at the Royal Academy over three decades.

The offered lot is a rare bronze cast reduction from an original plaster maquette for an unrealised monumental equestrian work depicting Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig (1861–1928). A national competition was launched in 1928 for a monumental public sculpture of Haig. Although Willis submitted a design, the commission was ultimately awarded to his contemporary Alfred Frank Hardiman (1891– 1949). Nevertheless, Willis was photographed in the late 1920's working on his maquette, which later formed the basis for this bronze cast, produced five years later in 1934*.

*The photograph, which can be viewed online, entitled 'Samuel Ward Willis, the sculptor at work on his model of statue of Field Marshal Earl Haig on horseback, 16 December 1929'.

Field Marshal Haig was best known for commanding the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front during the First World War, from 1915 until the Armistice in 1918. He had earlier served in the Mahdist War and the Second Boer War and played a role in the creation of the Territorial Force in 1908. Promoted to Field Marshal in 1917, he led British forces through key campaigns, culminating in the Hundred Days Offensive that contributed significantly to Allied victory.

Celebrated during his lifetime, Haig received numerous honours and was widely mourned upon his death in 1928. However, his leadership and strategic decisions have in more recent times been subject to more critical reassessment, reflecting evolving perspectives on the First World War

Additional information

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