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Frans David Oerder (1876-1944)


bronze 32x17x28 cm 'The Art Student' signed, inscribed and dated 'A. van Wouw / Pretoria 1902' (verso), inscribed 'G. Nisini fuse-Roma' (verso base) bronze 32x17x28 cm Provenance: Collection Mrs. L.J. Schalkwijk-Braat, Delft Thence by descent the present owner 32x17x28 cm Literature: A.E. Duffey, Anton van Wouw: The Smaller Works, (Pretoria, 2008), another edition illustrated pp. 33-35 The present lot depicts George E. Gordon Leith (1885–1965) whilst a student to van Wouw. Leith was born in Knysna and his family moved to Pretoria in 1889. From the ages of fourteen to sixteen he was drawing and modelling under van Wouw's guidance and through this he made the acquaintance of many artists including Frans Oerder, Fanie Eloff and J.H. Pierneef. Gordon Leith was later to become an eminent architect working in the classical tradition established by Sir Herbert Baker. On his lap he has a rectangular drawing board on which a large eraser can be seen on the right at the top and the drawing paper is placed at an angle. In front the drawing board rests on a single thin leg, which is placed on the base of the small sculpture, between the boots of the boy. The boy wears an overcoat and bends forward, with full concentration, over his drawing board, which he draws against his stomach with his left arm. Even in this early small sculpture one becomes aware of van Wouw's obsession with fine detail such as the pocket knife behind the boy on the wooden box, the loose hanging straps of the overcoat, the cross-threaded shoelaces and the grain of the wooden box.