Theresia van der Pant

  • Small Icarus (1995) • Bronze (4 castings) • 47,5 x 25 x 31 cm

Provenance: Art dealer M.L. de Boer, Amsterdam • Private collection Huizen

Literature: Floris van der Pant, Joost Bergman, Lien Heyting, ‘Theresia van der Pant’, The Haque 2026, p. 107, no. 179, Illustrated

Exhibition: Museum Beelden aan Zee, The Hague: ‘Theresia van der Pant’, Jan 16 – May 3 2026

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Was for sale / Sold

Theresia van der Pant (1924-2013) strove for essence in her depiction of animals. This became most evident in her increasingly abstract birds. Whereas early versions were still given titles such as Eend (duck) or Zwaan (swan), later works were called Vlucht (flight) or Opwaartse vlucht (upward flight). It was precisely in these actions that she found the essence of these beings.

One of the themes within Van der Pant’s birds was Icarus. Icarus is a figure from Greek mythology who was imprisoned on Crete with his father Daedalus. To escape, Daedalus constructed wings from a wooden framework covered with feathers, secured with wax. Because the wax could melt, Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too high or too close to the sun. In his enthusiasm, Icarus did so anyway and plunged into the Aegean Sea.

Van der Pant used this mythological lesson about hubris by creating a bird with both wings still fully outstretched, yet lying on its side after having fallen. Two versions exist: Icarus, measuring 116 cm in height, and Small Icarus, measuring 47.5 cm in height, both from 1995. An example of the larger version is installed at the Bronovo Hospital in The Hague.

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