Abdul by Stanley Beard, Bronze, with Foundry Marks for Morris Singer, London, Signed, titled, and dated 1978, 40 cm high × 22 cm wide × 23 cm deep

Cast in bronze by the renowned Morris Singer Foundry, Abdul is a compelling sculptural portrait by British artist Stanley Beard. The work bears the artist’s signature and the date 1978, anchoring it firmly in a late 20th-century sculptural tradition that values both craftsmanship and character study.

Abdul presents a sensitive yet powerful depiction of a male figure. The sculpture’s relatively compact scale contrasts with its intense physical and emotional presence. Beard models the figure with a nuanced understanding of anatomy and expression, capturing not just a likeness but a quiet inner strength. The head and shoulders dominate the form, suggesting a focus on psychological depth rather than full-body realism.

The patina of the bronze adds further richness to the surface, with subtle tonal shifts that highlight the planes of the face and the textures of the casting. The collaboration with Morris Singer, one of Britain’s most respected art foundries, emphasizes the work’s technical excellence and connection to a long lineage of British bronze casting.

While the title Abdul suggests a specific individual, the work transcends portraiture to speak more broadly about dignity, identity, and presence. It is both personal and archetypal, intimate and monumental in tone. Beard’s attention to the human form and his restrained, timeless aesthetic align him with the figurative sculptors of his generation who continued to explore the expressive power of bronze at a time when conceptual and abstract art dominated the mainstream.