Mask of Mrs Epstein (with Earrings)

Sir Jacob Epstein 1880 - 1959

Summary

Bronze head of woman with calm expression. Straight fringe with rest of hair pulled back away from face and styled on back of head. She wears a pair of large beaded earrings which reach her shoulders. (Back of head hollow). It is a portrait of Epstein's first wife Margaret Dunlop (d.1947) who Epstein had first met in Paris whilst studying at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Epstein made five portraits of her from 1912 to 1918. He made two versions of the mask, one with and one without earrings. In his autobiography, he wrote "In this mask, I immediately made what I think is one of my subtlest and most beautiful works. The serenity and inward calm is there, and from the point of view of style, the simplicity is that achieved by antique sculpture".