PORTRAIT WITH A CROW AND A PIKE BY LEONARD BASKIN (1922-2000),
cast bronze plaque, half-length, Hughes, the crow and the pike all in profile, inscribed in the field 'Ted Hughes A[e]t sui 47, Amicus Meus Baskin 1978', founder's mark Makky NYC, number 5 of 6 cast in 2001, 32¼ x 22¾ in(81.9 x 57.8 cm).
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Notes:
Ted Hughes and the American sculptor and polymath Leonard Baskin had a deep friendship and creative partnership from the time of their first meeting in 1957 and their influence on one another was profound. It was Baskin who proposed the symbol of crow as a literary vehicle to Ted Hughes: 'Crow grew out of an invitation by Leonard Baskin to make a book with him simply about crows. He wanted an occasion to add more crows to all the crows that flock through his sculpture, drawing and engravings.' It is appropriate therefore that a crow should accompany Hughes in the present portrait. 'Pike' is the title of one of the best-known poems by Hughes, of which Baskin made an illustrated poster. Leonard Baskin illustrated Crow and a number of other books by Hughes.
The present plaque is number 5 of a limited edition of 6 cast in New York in 2001. A version of the first casting of 1978, again of small limitation, is in the National Portrait Gallery. The colour and patination of the second casting seem superior to those of the first.
