JACOB (1880) EPSTEIN British-American, 1880–1959 Maquette for the Ascension of Christ, 1958-1959 Lead maquette mounted on Perspex. Lead maquette mounted on Perspex. This maquette serves as a preliminary study for one of Jacob Epstein’s final commissions, intended for Crownhill Church in Plymouth. The rugged texture, exaggerated drapery, and emotive gestures of the head and arms echo his earlier religious masterpieces, most notably the Christ Risen from three decades prior. Executed in his "Expressive Naturalist" style, the piece draws heavily from medieval sculpture—a debt most visible in the stylized rendering of the garments. The theme of ascension is physically manifested through the sculpture's upward-tending axes and sharp angles, all of which direct the viewer’s eye toward the heavens. Height: 10 inches; Height (base) 13.75 inches $4,000-6,000
ARTIST PROFILE: Sir Jacob Epstein was a pioneering British-American sculptor who played a central role in the birth of modern sculpture. Born to Polish-Jewish immigrant parents in New York City, he moved to Europe in 1902 and eventually settled in London, becoming a British citizen. Epstein was a founding member of the London Group and a champion of the "truth to materials" philosophy, often practicing direct carving in stone. His career was marked by intense public controversy; his radical, bold works—such as the robotic The Rock Drill (1913) and the monumental Jacob and the Angel—challenged traditional European aesthetics by drawing inspiration from African, Oceanic, and Ancient Near Eastern art. Despite facing decades of criticism and even vandalism of his public works, he was also celebrated as a master portraitist, creating famed bronze busts of figures like Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill. In his later years, his reputation was fully rehabilitated, culminating in a knighthood in 1954 and major commissions such as St. Michael’s Victory over the Devil for Coventry Cathedral.
