A wonderfully immediate artist’s plaster study of a seated male figure, modelled with an unusually loose and expressive hand. The figure sits in a relaxed, almost sprawling pose, one leg drawn upwards and the other extending forwards, the body emerging from a roughly worked mass of plaster. Rather than describing the anatomy precisely, the sculptor has built the form through pressing, dragging and adding material, leaving fingerprints, tool marks and broad passages of modelling clearly visible across the surface. There’s something particularly good about the lack of resolution. Certain features are strongly suggested while others seem to dissolve back into the material. The face, beard and upper body have considerable presence despite being established with remarkably little detail. Viewed from different angles, the sculpture continually shifts between recognisable figure and almost abstract mass. The predominantly terracotta-red surface is interrupted by areas of exposed white plaster, particularly around the base. Together with the deliberately rough modelling, these irregularities give the piece a rather archaeological quality. Unsigned and unattributed. Difficult to date with certainty, though the expressive, gestural approach to modelling has a distinctly 20th-century studio feel. It reads very much as an artist’s working study — concerned with pose, weight and character rather than finish. A small but surprisingly substantial sculptural object, and particularly good viewed in the round. DimensionsHeight: 16 cmWidth: 21 cmDepth: 10 cm ConditionPresented in its found condition. Rough and irregular throughout, with areas of exposed plaster and surface wear consistent with its nature as an artist’s working study. Please refer to the detailed photographs. DeliveryQualifies as a smaller item. UK delivery via insured courier/FedEx at checkout; international shipping available—please get in touch for a quote.
