Notes

Seven castings of this work were made posthumously at the Renzo Vignali Artistic Foundry, Pretoria. Thanks to Gerard de Kamper for his assistance with cataloguing this lot.

The Accused – or The Basuto Witness, as it has also been titled – is one of Van Wouw’s most poignant and beautiful portraits. It shows a testifying mineworker, his arms close to his sides, his eyelids heavy and weary, his brow deeply furrowed, and his expression one of bewilderment and unease. There is no way of knowing on which side of the law the mineworker stands, but despite his obvious anxiety, he remains proud and dignified. The present lot, an enlarged version of the mineworker’s head, was cast at the Vignali Foundry in Pretoria. The same sitter, incidentally, modelled for Van Wouw’s The Skapu Player (1907) and The Dagga Smoker (1907).

Exhibited

Selborne Hall, Johannesburg, Twelfth South African Academy Exhibition, another cast from the edition displayed, 1931.