Live Auction 21031Modern British & Irish Art Day Sale
MICHAEL AYRTON (1921-1975)
Lot 119

MICHAEL AYRTON (1921-1975)

Golden Couple (Afternoon)

Closed20 October 2022

Estimate

GBP 60,000–80,000

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MICHAEL AYRTON (1921-1975)
Golden Couple (Afternoon)
signed 'Ayrton' (on the underside of the female figure), numbered and stamped with foundry mark, London hallmark for 18 carat gold and date letter for 1973 '3/12 /MSFLD/18/S' (on the underside of each figure)
18 carat yellow gold, on a black stone base
7 in. (17.8 cm.) long, excluding base
Approx. 86 oz. 2 dwt. (2696 gr.)
Cast in 1973 by Morris Singer Foundry, London.

Commissioned by Morris Singer Foundry, London and Christie’s Contemporary Art, London, in 1972, where purchased by the father of the present owner in the early 1970s, and by descent.

Specialist note

In the early 1970s, the London founders, Morris Singer Sculpture Association Ltd., with Christie’s Contemporary Art, commissioned eight artists to choose a subject representative of their oeuvre, and to produce sculptures in an edition of twelve, no longer than twelve inches in width, and cast in 18 carat yellow gold. The eight artists included the most celebrated British sculptors of the time, among them: Elisabeth Frink (see lot 235), Lynn Chadwick, Barbara Hepworth, Michael Ayrton, and Kenneth Armitage.