Henry Moore, O.M., C.H. (1898-1986)

In 1943 Moore was commissioned to make a Madonna and Child for the Church of St Matthew, Northampton, to which the present work is closely related. The life-size work at Northampton is carved from Hornton stone and was commissioned by the vicar of St Matthew's, Canon J. Rowden Hussey, to coincide with the golden jubilee celebrations in 1943. Hussey was keen to support the arts through his work in the Church, and also commissioned a painting by Graham Sutherland called The Crucifixion for St Matthew's. In 1955 he became Dean of Chichester Cathedral and continued to support the visual arts through his patronage of artists including Graham Sutherland and John Piper.