Narcisse

Artist Paul Mount British, 1922 - 2009

Dateca. 1965

MediumStainless steel, stone, black felt

DimensionsOverall: 14 3/8 x 12 x 2 5/8 in. (36.5 x 30.5 x 6.7 cm)
Base: 11/16 x 9 5/8 x 7 in. (1.7 x 24.4 x 17.8 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineGift to The Murray Collection in memory of Terry A. Murray

Object number1991.2.14

On View

Not on view

Collections

Sculpture
Modern and Contemporary Art
European Paintings & Sculpture

SignedInscribed in the stone, cursive, LL back face of stone base: "Paul Mount".

InscribedA printed and typed exhibition label glued to the underside of the base, on top of the black felt "THE NEW ART CENTRE/41, Sloane Street, London, SW (1? illegible)/ Below this heading is printed "Artist: " with "Paul Mount" typed next to it. Below this "Title" is printed with "Narcisse" typed next to it. Below this "Medium" is printed with "Stainless Steel" typed next to it. Below this "Size" is printed with "13 inches High" typed next to it. The last line printed is "Stock No." followed by "1176/7" typed. On top of this in the upper right a plain adhesive label was applied which has an arrow pointing up and the number "3(?)4" next ot it, all in red felt marking pen. The New Art Centre is a gallery exhibiting and selling sculpture and related works of art originally founded in 1958 in London, on Sloane Street, in 1994 it relocated to Roche Court in Wiltshire. In 2009 their website does not list Paul Mount among the artists shown.

DescriptionWelded construction. Two stainless steel half-disks each slightly concave and with a triangulated back plate that deepens in depth from a narrow outer rim to create a triangle where the inner edges of the two elements face one another when placed in the base. The two parts are very similar in size but the right side is slightly shorter in length (3/16") and an inch narrower at the widest point (4 15/16" vs 5 15/16"). The bottom point of each of the elements has a half-inch round tenon welded to it that inserts into the round mortise holes in the stone plinth. This allows each to stand upright and together form an oval outline when placed "forward" with the concave surface facing the viewer. However, the two elements are not fixed in place in these tenons and may be turned to form variant shapes. (this may be one reason for the title of the piece, 'Narcisse,' associating it with the Greek mythological figure of legendary beauty who could not look away from his own reflection once seen in a pond). When facing "forward" there is a narrow triangular space between the elements that is 1/4" wide at the bottom and 1" wide at the top . The surface of the metal is slightly brushed giving it a softly mirrored surface rather than a sheer, completely reflective surface.

Base of dark grey stone with some lighter-colored veining and tiny reflective inclusions that have a coppery color. Rectangular, drilled and fitted with two round metal mortises at the center to receive the round tenons at the lower point of each of the two stainless steel elements. Black felt is glued to the bottom to prevent it from scratching a shelf or table top where it might be displayed.Exhibition History"The Murray Collection: Art of the Twentieth Century, Selections from the Permanent Collection," The Hyde Collection, Dec. 4, 1993 - Feb. 20, 1994.

"After 1960: Selected Works from the Permanent Collection," Hoopes Gallery, The Hyde Collection, May 19 - July 28, 2002.

"Modernist Sculpture", Feibes & Schmitt Gallery, The Hyde Collection, June 15 - July 18, 2018 and November 19- December 30, 2018

"The 1960s: Beyond Op and Pop," Feibes and Schmitt Gallery, The Hyde Collection, Glens Falls, NY, June 24-Sept. 17, 2023.ProvenanceBath, England, Beaux Arts Gallery
New York, NY, Jane S. Murray
1991, Glens Falls, NY, The Hyde Collection Trust