Motherhood
Francis Derwent Wood, R.A. (1871-1926)
late 1890s
Bronze with rich green patination
20 1/2 inches
According to Robert Bowman, "This work dates from the late 1890s, when he was study and showing in Paris and then Glasgow, and shows Wood in full art nouveau style embracing organic inmagery as well as strong symbolism. There are two symbolic images portrayed in this sculpture. The first is of woman as creator and nurturer of the human race, the form from which mankind — represented” by babies tumbling from her hair — emanates. The second imagery is of mother Earth as a central figure in the circle of life, the earth producing new branches and shoots that turn into children and then a human before returning to the earth once again" (53).
