†IVOR ROBERTS-JONES

†IVOR ROBERTS-JONES, CBE, RA (1913-1996) MAQUETTE FOR THE WINSTON CHURCHILL MONUMENT IN PARLIAMENT SQUARE bronze, by the Meridian Bronze Co, c1971-73 No 450 from the edition of 500, on stone plinth, 62cm h overall and a boxed set of twelve LP records Winston S Churchill His Memoirs and His Speeches, with booklet, Decca Record Co Ltd, 1964Provenance:Acquired by the present vendor in the 1970s.In 1970 The House of Commons Winston Churchill Memorial Committee assisted by the Royal Fine Art Commission and two expert assessors, one of whom was Sir John Pope Hennessy drew up a shortlist of nine sculptors for the Winston Churchill Memorial commission. The intended location for the sculpture had previously been chosen by Churchill himself. Two of the sculptors, Ivor Roberts-Jones and Oscar Nemon were asked to submit revised proposals and in November the Committee chose Roberts-Jones. The twelve foot high bronze was unveiled in 1973.With its enigmatic expression and mass the statue brilliantly portrays Churchill's grit and greatness or, in the words of a reporter for The Times, his "Bulldog resolution and defiance."Two other examples from the same edition have recently sold at auction, one realising £36,000 plus premium at Mallams, Oxford and the other selling for 43750 USD at Christie's, New York in December 2014. One of three from the posthumous 2001 edition realised £145,250 at Christie's in November 2010.