Strauss & co - 10 November 2014, Johannesburg

140 195 Anton VAN WOUW south african 1862–1945 Bad News signed and inscribed ‘S.A. Joh=burg 1907’ bronze with a brown patina, mounted on a wooden base height: 34 cm, including base R800 000–1 200 000 literature Duffey, A.E. (2008) Anton van Wouw: The Smaller Works , Pretoria: Protea Book House. Another cast from the edition illustrated on pages 53 to 55. notes Professor Alex Duffey describes this works: ‘This striking sculpture shows two Boer soldiers stooped forward in dejection and seated on a rock in the veld. One figure has a veld hat on his head and bends forward so that his elbows rest on his knees. The other figure, without a hat on his head, sits flat on the ground, with his left leg folded beneath him and his right leg, which is broken at the ankle, stretched out before him. His left arm lies limp on his lap, while his right arm rests on the back of his comrade. It is evident that he is wounded and that his comrade carried him to the rocky outcrop on which they are sitting. They have heard the ‘Bad news’ of the loss of independence of their Republic and they just sit there staring ahead of them, tired and dejected. These two figures form a compact unity by way of a complicated interplay of solids and voids. Van Wouw was always very aware of sculptural form and basic geometry. Everything here is based on the circle. The grouping of the two men forms a large, closed circle. The hat is also a repetition of the circular motif. In his best works there is always this awareness of form as well as a depiction of profound emotion. Compositionally, the figurine is intended to be viewed in the round and all parts therefore contribute to the total com- position. The atmosphere of dejection is supported by the way in which the masses seem to be rooted into the ground or to be emerging from it.’ 1 1. Duffey, A. E. (2008) Anton van Wouw: The Smaller Works , Pretoria: Protea Book House. Pages 53–54.