Sheep with Lambs at the Edge of a Wood
Henry Moore's "Sheep with Lambs at the Edge of a Wood" exemplifies the British sculptor's exploration of organic forms and maternal themes through both drawing and sculptural work. The composition captures the tender relationship between mother sheep and their young in a landscape setting, rendered in Moore's characteristic style that simplifies natural forms into essential, flowing shapes. The work reflects Moore's broader interest in how natural creatures and the environment could be abstracted into universal statements about protection, nurture, and the sculptural qualities inherent in living forms.
- Signed
- Yes
- Location
- Christie's, Beverly Hills, CA
- Spotted At
- Auction House · Christie'sView on map
Notes
LITERATURE H. Moore and K. Clark, Henry Moore's Sheep Sketchbook, London, 1972, p. 20, illustrated. A. Garrould, Henry Moore: Drawings, London, 1988, p. 165, pl. 199. A. Garrould (ed.), Henry Moore: Complete Drawings 1950-76, Vol. 4, Much Hadham, 2003, p. 236, no. AG 72.20, HMF 3336, illustrated. EXHIBITED New York, Wildenstein & Co., Henry Moore: Drawings, 1969-79, November 1979 - January 1980, no. 16, illustrated. Conditions of sale Brought to you by Pippa Jacomb Director, Head of Day Sale PJACOMB@CHRISTIES.COM +44 (0) 20 7389 2293
🔨 Auction Lot
Modern British and Irish Art Day Sale
March 19, 2026
Estimate: $20,000 to $30,000
Sold: $22,860
Lot 141
Artists in conversation
Elisabeth Frink
British · b. 1930
Frink shared Moore's passion for sculpting animals and organic forms in bronze, frequently depicting horses, dogs, and pastoral creatures with the same simplified yet expressive modernist sensibility seen in this sheep composition. Her British identity and focus on the spiritual relationship between living beings and their natural environment mirrors Moore's pastoral themes directly.
Reg Butler
British · b. 1913
Butler was a mid twentieth century British sculptor who worked with organic three dimensional forms and explored the relationship between figures and their surrounding environment in a modernist idiom closely aligned with Moore's approach. His sensitivity to flowing natural shapes and serene pastoral subjects places his work in the same aesthetic territory as this piece.
Lynn Chadwick
British · b. 1914
Chadwick created bronze sculptures featuring animal and figural forms that abstract natural creatures into essential geometric and organic shapes, reflecting the same British modernist tradition as Moore's sheep study. His interest in capturing living beings through simplified sculptural mass and his consistent pastoral and naturalistic subject matter connect strongly to this specific work.
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