Early in his career, Lynn Chadwick made mobiles similar to those of Alexander Calder. Eventually his sculptures took a different turn, resulting in skeletal figures, insects and beasts. Beast XVI was cast in 1959, when Chadwick was at his peak, having toured the world with exhibitions and having won the International Prize at the Venice Biennale. The sculpture’s apocalyptic feeling reflected the mood of many artists in post-war Britain.