AFTER GIAMBOLOGNA, ITALIAN, LATE 17TH CENTURY

This bronze bull was formerly in the collection of the Earl of Abingdon at Highcliffe Castle and can be seen on the mantelpiece in the Library in a Country Life article on Highcliffe in 1942. Highcliffe Castle was built in the Gothic Revival style by Sir Charles Stuart between 1831 and 1835 on the site of High Cliff house, a Georgian Mansion designed for the 3rd Earl of Bute. Stuart had served successfully in the diplomatic corps, serving as ambassador to Portugal, Russia, the Netherlands and France. Whilst posted in Spain he became indispensable to the Duke of Wellington, who appointed him as British Ambassador in Paris. After the fall of Napoleon, he escorted the exiled French King Louis XVIII back to Paris, and became British Ambassador there again until 1824. During his stay there Stuart enjoyed the exotic society of Paris and 'with his crony, Lord Yarmouth, later Marquess of Hertford, he haunted auctions and sales. There were many opportunities for acquiring historic bargains' (Hussey -II, loc. cit., p. 855). The 3rd Marquess of Hertford's considerable art collection later helped form the Wallace Collection, and Stuart shared his collecting zeal. His spate of acquisitions completely transformed Highcliffe, which then remained largely untouched until the Christie's sale of 1949.