Lot Essay
Sir Thomas Brock, R.A. (1847-1922) renowned primarily for the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace, was one of the foremost English sculptors of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Brock exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1868 to 1922. At the age of 19 he entered Foley's studio in London, he joined the Royal Academy Schools the following year and in 1869 was awarded the Gold Medal in Sculpture of the Royal Academy for his Hercules strangling Antaeus. Though Brock worked on ideal figures and large memorials, the greater part of his oeuvre was his portraiture. Of his ideal work, Brock's figure of Eve in marble is his most successful, and is now in the Tate Gallery. His Diploma work for the Royal Academy was his impressive bust of Frederic Leighton, first exhibited in 1881. In 1883 he was elected an A.R.A, in 1891 an R.A. and having won the Grand Prix at the 1900 Paris Exhibition, was elected an honorary member of the Société des Artistes Français.
Spielmann (op. cit.) lists Brock's most prominent portrait busts, among which were his master J.H. Foley of 1878, the Marchioness of Westminster of 1881, Sir Isaac Pitman of 1888, Sir Henry Tate and his Queen Victoria of 1901. The present fine bronze portrait by Brock is not dated, but judging from the style and attire was probably executed during the 1890s. The turn of the head, the flaring coat collar and the open tie reveal a relaxed attitude and suggest a man of artistic inclination. The straight nose, rounded jaw line, fine moustache and receding hair line closely resemble Brock's own features, and during the 1890s Brock would have been in his forties just as the present sitter. It is possible, though no documentation has yet been located, that this bust is a self-portrait, or alternatively a contemporary sculptor, Royal Academy colleague or literary friend. It enjoys the sensitive characterisation typical of Brock's work. The turn of the head and imaginative asymmetrical truncation of the shoulders further enliven the portrait, which stands as a fine example of Brock's work and an important British portrait of the late 19th century.
Spielmann (op. cit.) lists Brock's most prominent portrait busts, among which were his master J.H. Foley of 1878, the Marchioness of Westminster of 1881, Sir Isaac Pitman of 1888, Sir Henry Tate and his Queen Victoria of 1901. The present fine bronze portrait by Brock is not dated, but judging from the style and attire was probably executed during the 1890s. The turn of the head, the flaring coat collar and the open tie reveal a relaxed attitude and suggest a man of artistic inclination. The straight nose, rounded jaw line, fine moustache and receding hair line closely resemble Brock's own features, and during the 1890s Brock would have been in his forties just as the present sitter. It is possible, though no documentation has yet been located, that this bust is a self-portrait, or alternatively a contemporary sculptor, Royal Academy colleague or literary friend. It enjoys the sensitive characterisation typical of Brock's work. The turn of the head and imaginative asymmetrical truncation of the shoulders further enliven the portrait, which stands as a fine example of Brock's work and an important British portrait of the late 19th century.