Description
Bronze
Dimensions
13.5cm (5.5in)
Footnote
Provenance: The Robertson Collection
Literature: J.D.Fergusson Exhibition Catalogue, National Galleries of Scotland Edinburgh 2013, Ill.Pl. 34
Note: Another cast of this sculpture was exhibited at the exhibition. This sculpture dates from 1919, although was cast in bronze in a later date.
Sculpture was something that Fergusson dabbled in throughout his career and is an important part of his oeuvre, demonstrating his distinctive artistic identity and talent. Philosophy, a stylised female figure glowing golden with a flourish of flowers blooming out of one side and a single geometric bird balancing on her other hand and shoulder, is strikingly modern yet has a timeless quality.
Anne Robertson clearly remembered walking with Margaret Morris, carrying the plaster cast of Philosophy, to have it cast in bronze. It was cast in two editions, a larger and smaller, and Anne requested one from the smaller edition for her collection. Morris always maintained that the sculpture was to be well-polished to maintain a high-shine appearance.