About this lot

Description

cast 1984, the two-piece bronze with green and burnished bronze patina, signed Dali and numbered 230/350 to base, foundry stamp Jemelton 1984, with certificate of authenticity 70.5cm high

Footnote: Literature: Dalí: The Hard and the Soft, Sculptures & Objects. Eccart, 2004. pg. 240 ref. 620; Dali in the Third Dimension: The Stratton Foundation Collection Terpsichore is the mythological muse of dance. Her name comes from the Greek "delight in dance". Dali conceived the idea for this sculpture in 1977 and it was first cast using the lost wax process in 1984. The lost wax process involves creating a wax model of the sculpture which is then encased in a fireproof mould, heated until the wax melts and then poured out ("lost"). The mould is then refilled with bronze or metal for the final casting. Salvador Dali is one of the best known of all the surrealist artists, known particularly for his paintings. However, he created a considerable number of sculptures which can be viewed at the Dali Universe at County Hall in Westminster, including a cast of Homage to Terpsichore. In Dali's creation, he sees Terpsichore as a dual or reflected image; one soft and classical in contrast to the other hardened and statuesque. There are no features in their faces as the significance to Dali was in their figures. The dancer of smooth soft lines representing grace and the unconscious, with the other "half" of Terpsichore angular and cubist in feel, representing the chaotic rhythms of modern life. The poet and critic André Breton explained in The Surrealist Manifesto of 1924, that surrealism was a means of reuniting the conscious and unconscious so the world of dream and fantasy would be joined to the everyday rational world. Thus Dali, with his sculpture of Terpsichore, reflects the very essence of surrealism.

Condition report: In good overall condition, however, the 'branch' to the rear of the gilt figure has broken/become detatched. (see images). Each base measures 23 x 22cm, the green figure measures 63.5cm high from floor to finger-tip, the gilt figure measures 71cm from floor to finger-tip. Overall weight is app.13kg.

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