Nick Bibby
Further images
Description
Wren II is a sterling silver sculpture of a wren perched near the top of a curving, thorned briar stem that rises from a black rectangular base. The bird is shown in the upright pose typical of the wren, its body full and rounded, the short tail cocked steeply upward and the head lifted and turned to the left with the beak slightly parted. The wing and tail feathers carry incised detail, while the body is left smooth. The stem beneath curves up from the base in a long arc, set with small thorns and a short side branch that reaches out to the left, and the wren grips it with both feet at the top.
This is a silver version of Bibby's Wren II, first made as a bronze that has since sold out, now cast and finished in polished, hallmarked sterling silver. The wren is a small British bird known for a song that is loud for its size, often seen busy around gardens and buildings through the winter, and Bibby modelled it from the wrens around his own house and studio. In North America the bird has been called the "Winter Wren"; in Britain it is known simply as the wren, or affectionately as the "Jenny Wren".