Astrid's Work - Cyparissus

Cyparissus and the Stag

Inspired by the story that Cyparissus, son of Telephus, was given a stag by Apollo. When he accidentally killed the animal he became inconsolable and the god turned him into a cypress.

Around 1989 Astrid was commissioned by the leader of a well-known rock group to provide a statue for his châteaux estate in France.

This work I know caused her many problems. She expressed to me her concerns that there were constant changes to the design and different thinking on the way in which the subject should be presented. In her words the whole thing “became something of a nightmare”.

Unfortunately, the commissioner refused to allow any photographic record of the work, but an anonymous photographer has kindly provided me with a shot taken in Astrid’s studio when the original plaster work was nearing completion. It was from this that the final piece was cast in bronze.

It would indeed be fitting for a photograph of the finished work to be forthcoming, but all attempts to make contact with the owner have failed, even though the copyright in the work still remains with Astrid’s inheritors. I most sincerely hope that he will relent on this issue at sometime in the near future.