This is a rather intriguing item. It's a relief sculpture made of copper and depicts a husband and wife with their two young children. The mother is holding a a cheerful looking baby in her arms while the other child is hanging comically from his fathers hand, clearly bored with the situation. The elongated bodies of the parents are beautifully sculpted. It's a naïve but also highly stylised picture and has an almost 'African' feel. The father figure especially appears to have African facial features. Yet other clues suggest this is very much a Western work of art; the hairstyle of the parents and especially the little boy looks distinctly Western and so does the crudely shaped townscape with church tower in the background. The way the faces are created is reminiscent of the style of Picasso. So all together this work of art clearly comes from a very eclectic mix of influences
The item is signed bottom left with what appears to be the initials 'N.V.', a so far unidentified artist. It probably dates from the 1960s and is possibly English. While not necessarily typically brutalist I have added it here under that heading as it shares some of the key themes of that movement.
What I like particularly about this item is that it suits so many different interiors. At 55 cm high and 16 cm wide it also fits nicely in a narrow space. In addition it is also a charming image and the little boy especially always makes me smile.
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