A rare solid gold miniature bust of Sir Winston Churchill by Oscar Nemon, signed NEMON, stamped for Asprey & Co. of Bond Street and mounted on a banded malachite plinth. Circa 1960.
Appointed Churchill's principal sculptor in 1951, Nemon was granted exceptional access to his sitter, and his work is widely considered the most psychologically accurate sculptural record of Churchill's later life. The present bust shows that mature understanding: modeled with bowed head, the heavy-lidded gaze, compressed mouth and weight of the brow convey not rhetoric but reflection. Where the monumental versions address the public figure, the reduced format emphasizes interiority — Churchill as a private presence.
The bust belongs to a small group of finely produced miniatures retailed by Asprey for a discerning clientele. Examples in silver are known; those in gold were made in extremely limited numbers, likely as presentation pieces, and are exceptionally rare. The warmth of the metal lends immediacy to the modeling, set against the richly veined malachite traditionally associated with diplomatic gifts. Objects uniting artist, sitter and retailer at this level are seldom encountered.
Height: 3.75 inches.
A rare solid gold miniature bust of Sir Winston Churchill by Oscar Nemon, signed NEMON, stamped for Asprey & Co. of Bond Street and mounted on a banded malachite plinth. Circa 1960.
Appointed Churchill's principal sculptor in 1951, Nemon was granted exceptional access to his sitter, and his work is widely considered the most psychologically accurate sculptural record of Churchill's later life. The present bust shows that mature understanding: modeled with bowed head, the heavy-lidded gaze, compressed mouth and weight of the brow convey not rhetoric but reflection. Where the monumental versions address the public figure, the reduced format emphasizes interiority — Churchill as a private presence.
The bust belongs to a small group of finely produced miniatures retailed by Asprey for a discerning clientele. Examples in silver are known; those in gold were made in extremely limited numbers, likely as presentation pieces, and are exceptionally rare. The warmth of the metal lends immediacy to the modeling, set against the richly veined malachite traditionally associated with diplomatic gifts. Objects uniting artist, sitter and retailer at this level are seldom encountered.
Height: 3.75 inches.
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