Ellen Jansen (Smiling Head)

Details

Sir Jacob Epstein (1880-1959)
Ellen Jansen (Smiling Head)
bronze with a green patina
13 in. (33 cm.) high, excluding slate base
Conceived in 1931.

Provenance

with Spurr, July 1931, where purchased by the present owner's family.

Literature

A. Haskell, The Sculptor Speaks, Jacob Epstein to Arnold Haskell, London, 1931, p. 191, another cast illustrated.
R. Black, The Art of Jacob Epstein, New York, 1942, p. 238, no. 172.
R. Buckle, Jacob Epstein Sculptor, London, 1963, p. 184, pl. 281, another cast illustrated.
E. Silber, The Sculpture of Epstein, Oxford, 1986, p. 169, no. 207, another cast illustrated.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

Lot Essay

Commissioned in 1931 by the sitter, she was the wife of the theatrical producer, Maurice Browne.

According to family records, the present cast was exhibited at Leeds, 1931; Bradford, 1934; Dumfries, 1935; and Leamington Spa, 1938.

More from 20th Century British Art including the Collection of the

View All