Marble Plinth

Habitation sits on a 40mm high polished black marble plinth, with a recess cut out for the sculpture’s base plate to sit in. Though the first image of Habitation is without this plinth, similar marble plinths are shown in images of sculptures in the same César exhibition catalogue from the Hanover Gallery, London’s 1960 display. It was from this gallery that Habitation was purchased in 1961 (for more details see the César section at the top of the webpage). It appears likely that the plinth came as part of this original purchase.

However, the two small latches on either side of the plinth are not original features. These latches fix the sculpture onto the plinth, and can be rotated to allow the plinth to be removed. The earliest photographs of the sculpture in The Courtauld Gallery archive show the marble base without these latches. The sculpture’s metal base is not flat, making Habitation liable to gently wobble if perturbed. The latches may have been added as a safety measure to reduce this movement.