Strauss & co - 20 May 2019, Johannesburg

150 258 Sydney Kumalo SOUTH AFRICAN 1935–1988 The Blessing 1981/1982 signed and numbered 3/5 bronze with a brown patina, cast at the Vignali Foundry, Pretoria height: 64 cm R400 000 – 600 000 EXHIBITED The Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg, South African Art, 1850–2002 , 30 August to 7 September 2002. Works in public collections: Pretoria Art Museum, edition number unknown (incorrectly titled The Messenger ). LITERATURE Gavin Younge (1988) Art of the South African Townships , London: Thames & Hudson. Illustrated in colour on page 22. Michael Stevenson and Deon Viljoen (2002) South African Art, 1850–2002 , Johannesburg: The Goodman Gallery. Illustrated in colour, unpaginated, edition number unknown. Esmé Berman (1983) Art and Artists of South Africa , Cape Town: AA Balkema. Illustrated in black and white on page 404. The Blessing served as a maquette for the large-scale sculpture that Sydney Kumalo was commissioned to make for the City of Cape Town. A 3.2m version of the work was erected in the concourse of the City’s Civic Centre in 1983. Thanks to Gavin Watkins for assistance with cataloguing information.