Ontwerp voor een penning (?) van gips 1876 - 1947

This plaster piece, 'Ontwerp voor een penning (?) van gips' was made by Lambertus Zijl, sometime between the late 19th and mid 20th century. It's a small, circular design, like a coin or medal, with a figure of a woman holding a child, worked in relief. The thing I notice first is how the shapes are built up. It's not smooth or polished, but it's all planes and angles, like a cubist painting made solid. You can see where Zijl added bits of plaster, building up the form, one small piece at a time. Look at the folds of the woman's skirt, how they jut out like rough-cut stones. It’s that awkwardness that brings it to life. The whole thing is white, of course, so it's all about the play of light and shadow. It makes me think of Brancusi, or maybe some of the constructivist sculptors, all those folks who were trying to figure out how to make something new out of the oldest materials. It's like a conversation that's been going on for centuries, and Zijl just jumped right in.