As visitors drive through the vineyards towards the reception area of La Motte, they are welcomed by the impressive Wine Bearer sculpture by sculptor Toby Megaw. Holding an overflowing cup in her hands, this proud woman elegantly serves as a symbol of La Motte’s tradition of sharing.

Etched against the landscape of vineyards and mountains, the Wine Bearer, standing four metres tall and weighing 560 kilograms, is a popular discussion point and much photographed object of art.

Inspired by the admiration with which this sculpture is met, a Sculpture Walk – a guided tour along all the sculptures on the estate – has been introduced. This experience reaffirms La Motte’s appreciation of the arts. Along the Walk, the sculptures guide guests through the estate – from the welcoming Wine Bearer to the works displayed in the La Motte Museum, Wine Tasting Room, Rupert Vinoteque, Pierneef à La Motte Restaurant and the estate gardens.

The sculptors of most of the pieces on La Motte, Theo and Toby Megaw, is a father-and-son team who draws their inspiration from beauty and how it is expressed in society through form, stature and gestures, encouraging an individual experience and interpretation as well as dialogue between sculpture and viewer. The collection also includes works by Anton Van Wouw, Fanie Eloff and a recent acquisition by Louis Chanu.

The sculptures on the Sculpture Walk include:

In the estate gardens:

Wine Bearer by Toby Megaw – Welcoming guests to La Motte, she stands strong, but humble, serving as a symbol of La Motte’s spirit of sharing.

Mother and Child by Toby Megaw – Modelled to Toby’s wife Paula and his daughter, The Mother and Child symbolises the importance of family.

The Kiss by Theo Megaw – centrally placed in the courtyard, symbolises motherly love.

The Blushing Bride by Toby Megaw – created on site in 2018 as a special commission and over a four-month period during the Fleurs de La Motte exhibition by Paula van Coller-Louw. The Blushing Bride portrays the elegance, rarity, fragility and beauty of a small protea, the Serruria florida (also known as the Blushing Bride or the Pride of Franschhoek).

In the La Motte Museum:

Voortrekker vrou en kinders (Voortrekker women and children) by Anton Van Wouw – Showing the courage and perseverance of the Voortrekker women. One of the highlights along the Sculpture Walk is the maquette, Voortrekker vrou en kinders (Voortrekker woman and children), dated 1938, by South African master Anton Van Wouw (1862 – 1945). Acclaimed for his monumental pieces created as public commissions for South African monuments such as the National Women’s Memorial, Bloemfontein and the Voortrekker Monument, Pretoria, this Dutch-born sculptor introduced bronze sculpting to the South African arts. With no foundry available in South Africa before 1931, Van Wouw had his first sculptures cast in Italy and the Netherlands. The popular and familiar subjectivity of his work to the South African public made him a well-known art figure and consultant to the establishment of the first bronze foundry of South Africa, in 1931.

Harvest girl by Toby Megaw – a celebration of harvest-time, the most important time on a wine estate.

Girl with violin by Toby Megaw – celebrating the estate’s long-standing association with classical music.

Pierneef by Fanie Eloff.

In Pierneef à La Motte restaurant:

Mother and baby by Toby Megaw – Embodying the constant love bestowed upon family and those we care for. 

In the La Motte Wine Tasting Room:

Rose and Solitude by Theo Megaw – greetings guests at the entrance to the Tasting Room, their names and subtle gestures provides hints of the elegant figure’s characters.

Adanté by Theo Megaw – a beautifully feminine figure in the Rupert Vinoteque.

The Grape Picker by Toby Megaw – a tribute to the farm workers in the Boardroom.

After the Harvest by Louis Chanu – a scene celebrating the hard work during harvest with music.

Warthog by Theo Megaw.

As a toast to this unique acquaintance with art, the La Motte Sculpture Walk is concluded with a glass of the estate’s limited release La Motte Méthode Cap Classique and an elegant traditional French Madeleine under the age-old oak trees in La Motte’s garden.

The La Motte Sculpture Walk costs R80 per person and is conducted on Thursday mornings between 10:00 and 11:00. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

Reservations are essential and can be made online.