Boy at play

Details

SIR WILLIAM GOSCOMBE JOHN, R.A. (1860-1952)
Boy at play
signed 'w. goscombe john'
bronze, dark brown patina
18 in. (45.7 cm.) high; 12 ½ in. (31.6 cm.) wide
Conceived circa 1895.

Provenance

Acquired in 1981.

Literature

B. Coleman, The Best of British Arts & Crafts, Atglen, PA, 2004, p. 242.
M. Levy, ‘Living with antiques: A collection of Victorian decorative arts’, Antiques, June 2000, pp. 948-955, p. 953, pl. x.
M. Hamnett, ‘The Albert Dawson Collection: a Handley-Read Legacy’, The Journal of the Decorative Arts Society 1850 - the Present, 2016, vol. 40, pp. 107-108, figs. 19 & 20.

Special notice

Specified lots (sold and unsold) marked with a filled square ( ¦ ) not collected from Christie’s, 8 King Street, London SW1Y 6QT by 5.00pm on the day of the sale will, at our option, be removed to Crozier Park Royal (details below). Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite.If the lot is transferred to Crozier Park Royal, it will be available for collection from 12.00pm on the second business day following the sale.Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Crozier Park Royal. All collections from Crozier Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only.Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com.If the lot remains at Christie’s, 8 King Street, it will be available for collection on any working day (not weekends) from 9.00am to 5.00pm

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Adrian Hume-Sayer Director, Specialist

Lot Essay

At the age of fourteen, William John entered the Bute Workshops, working on the decoration of Cardiff Castle. In 1881 he joined the London studio of the sculptor Thomas Nicholls. In 1889 he gained the Royal Academy Gold Medal and a Travelling Studentship, leading the artist to Paris where he was much influenced by Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). He set up his first London studio in 1891, and quickly established his reputation. Boy at Play reveals the influence of both Aimé-Jules Dalou (1838-1902) and of Alfred Gilbert (1853-1934). A full size bronze was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1896 and subsequently exhibited in the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900, where John was awarded a gold medal. A small version was lent to the Cardiff Exhibition of Works by Certain Modern Artists of Welsh Birth or Extraction in 1913-14. Another cast of this subject is in the collection of Tate Britain, London (no1755).

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