Caryatid (1982) is a large original mixed media drawing on card by Arthur Berry — one of Stoke-on-Trent’s most celebrated and collected 20th-century British artists, and a graduate of both the Burslem School of Art and the Royal College of Art.
A caryatid is a carved female figure used as an architectural support in place of a column — most famously seen in ancient Greek temples. It is very possible that Berry had in mind the caryatid figures supporting the clock tower of the great Victorian Town Hall in Burslem town centre: a building that loomed large in the landscape of his working life and artistic imagination.
This work carries an intriguing provenance note: it was originally believed to be titled Cariad (the Welsh word for ‘love’ or ‘darling’), but on closer inspection the title is now confirmed as Caryatid — a detail that speaks to Berry’s layered, literary sensibility.
Signed and dated by the artist. Presented in its original 1980s frame.
Browse more works in the Arthur Berry.
- Artist: Arthur Berry
- Title: Caryatid
- Date: 1982
- Medium: Mixed media on card
- Image size: 52.5 × 85 cm (20.5 × 33.5")
- Framed size: 76 × 110 cm (30 × 43.5")
- Frame: Original period frame
- Condition: Signed and dated, excellent condition