Lot 250: ROGER LEIGH 1925-1997

CLEDHDAN

CLEDHDAN

height 84cm., 33in. (including base)

bronze with a dark brown patina on a slate base

LITERATURE

Various, St. Ives 1939-1964: Twenty five years of painting, sculpture and pottery, Tate Gallery Publishing 1985, cat. no. 174 (aluminium cast illustrated in black and white).

NOTE

Coming from an architectural background, Leigh met Barbara Hepworth at the Tate Gallery exhibition of the competition entries for 'The Unknown Political Prisoner' and was offered a position as studio assistant, which he fulfilled from 1953-54. He returned to architecture, but in 1957 went back to St.Ives and the Hepworth studio, alongside other notable sculptors including Brian Wall and Denis Mitchell.

The present work appears to be a possibly unique bronze version of Cledhan, only the second work that Leigh produced after moving away from carving to a constructed form of sculpture. The title, Cledhdan, means 'flaming sword' in Cornish. An edition of five was also produced in aluminium.