A sculpture of lead and string on a stone base.
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

The sculpture shows a shape in the form of a stylized letter w. The left side is thick and rectangular with a rounded end. The back-edge slopes down then rises to a rounded peak in the center. The edge then curves upward to a thin rounded end. On the interior of the left side are two rows of six holes. String is threaded through the holes which is then threaded through a raised peaked vertical in the center with twelve holes, the string extends to the opposite side and is threaded into twelve holes which form a circle.

Gallery Text

The familiar subject of mother and child is rendered uncanny here by the artist’s choice of scale and media. Lead and string seem unlikely vehicles to convey the warmth of the maternal embrace, while the tightly strung cord piercing the metal creates physical and symbolic tension in the relationship of forms. The small size, in contrast to the usual expansiveness of Moore’s forms, adds to the sense of constraint, resulting in an object that is delicate but troubling.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
2003.40.19
People
Henry Moore, British (Castleford, W. Yorks, U.K. 1898 - 1986 Much Hadham, Herts, U.K.)
Title
Mother and Child
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
sculpture
Date
1939
Culture
British
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/96422

Location

Location
Level 1, Room 1310, Modern and Contemporary Art, Surrealism
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Physical Descriptions

Medium
Lead and string on stone base
Dimensions
13.5 x 18.8 x 5.1 cm (5 5/16 x 7 3/8 x 2 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
[Leicester Galleries, London]. Mary Gershinowitz, bequest; to the Harvard University Art Museums, 2003.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Mary Gershinowitz
Copyright
© Henry Moore Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Accession Year
2003
Object Number
2003.40.19
Division
Modern and Contemporary Art
Contact
am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Henry Moore: Sculpture and Drawings 1921-1948, Percy Lund, Humphries & Company, LTD (London, 1957), Fig. 201, ill.

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 1310 Surrealism, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 10/14/2015; Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 10/14/2015 - 01/01/2050

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Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Modern and Contemporary Art at am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu