May - available for immediate purchase - £3200
‘May’ is one of our Morris-inspired collection of sculptures and is named after William Morris and Jane Burden’s younger daughter, who was an accomplished artisan and designer in her own right.
The Morris family’s legacy of intricate patternwork, hypnotic attention to detail and fine craftsmenship is continued in our William Morris Collection which features a broad range of lifecast sculptures, where Morris’s famous wallpaper and fabric designs form the inspiration for the delicate paintwork, in playful colour schemes selected by CJ Munn or requested by clients to match existing interior design palettes.
Her dimensions are 34 x 53 x 17 cm and she is available for £3200 including delivery and installation in London or the Home Counties of England (please contact us with your address for an estimate of delivery costs to anywhere in the world).
‘May’ is a unique female half-torso sculpture, sweeping over the décolletage and upper body. The sensual, feminine details of her collar bones, suprasternal notch, breasts and rib cage create shadows that define her shape in a playful conceal-reveal relationship with the Victorian-style patternwork.
Many days of hand-painting by CJ Munn, followed by shading with pastel-pencils, defining even further with UV-stable inks to make the details pop, and finally several coats of a traditional milk glaze give this piece layers of depth and interest.
‘May’ has previously been exhibited in one of the exquisitely decorated bedrooms of Kent’s Ightham Mote. In a historical home, where rich fabrics and resplendent wall-coverings abound, this sculpture blends in beautifully with traditional furnishings and antiques; whereas in a modern space, the quirky and subtly cheeky combination of artistic nude and bold, yet tasteful colour, creates a much more dramatic and eye-catching statement piece.
As with each of our pieces in The William Morris Collection, ‘May’ is a unique piece and is available to purchase immediately and is very simple to hang and care for. The inspiration for ‘May’ is Morris’s ‘Marigold’ design from 1875, used for both wallpaper and fabric to this day in a range of colours.
Unlike wallpaper and fabric, where the design is printed using traditional print-block methods, the challenge of recreating a repeating pattern over a variable undulating surface with a mixture of convex and concave curves cannot be underestimated.
It is a testament to CJ’s heartfelt connection to the rhythms of Morris’s original design that she is able to translate this with freehand brushwork and hand-inking, to the ‘flesh and bone’ canvas of achingly beautiful lifecast sculpture.
If you have fallen in love with the piece yet feel frustrated that the colours won’t complement your room, we can make similar sculptures for you using the colour and pattern-inspiration and even model of your choice - creating something truly bespoke that will be perfect for your home or workplace.
You may choose to pose for such a sculpture yourself, ask a partner or loved one to pose for it, or we can provide a model and help you choose the right pose and finish for your particular requirements.
We are always happy to guide or advise you if you are unsure what pose or style of sculpture will perfectly work in your setting or existing art collection. Please get in touch for any enquiries regarding ‘May’, or to discuss your ideas for a bespoke commission.