Lot 44

Private collection, gift of the artist
Private collection, by descent from the above
Christie's, London, Victorian, Pre-Raphaelite & British Impressionist Art, 17 June 2014, lot 96
The Collection of Mr John Schaeffer AO
Sotheby's Australia, Sydney, Important Art from the John Schaeffer AO Collection, 29 April 2018, lot 33
The Estate of Judith and Ernest Rapee, Sydney

In Greek mythology, Peleus may be best known as the father of Achilles, however, he was also a hero, king and the husband of the sea-nymph, Thetis. Thetis was loved by Zeus and Poseidon, who gave her to Peleus, king of Myrmidons of Thessaly, in order to fulfil her destiny of bearing a son who would be mightier than his father. Thetis unwillingly wed to a mortal, resisted Peleus's advances by changing herself into various forms. However, assisted by the wise centaur Chiron, Peleus finally captured her and the child of their union became the warrior Achilles.

Walker's sculpture of their spurned embrace delicately captures the pair twistingly intertwined. The sheen of the marble reveals their taught muscles as Thetis pulls away to resist and Peleus clings tighter still. The tension between the figures is palpable as Peleus puckers his lips preparing for an impending kiss and Thetis turns her cheek.

Arthur George Walker RA (1861-1939) was an English sculptor and painter who studied at the Royal Academy in London from c.1883-1887. Among his best-known works are several war memorials throughout the UK and a statue of Florence Nightingale in Waterloo Place, London. His work is held in the collections of Tate Britain, London, the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, and the Royal Academy, London.