Sir Francis Chantrey (1781-1841) trained as a woodcarver and portrait painter before embarking on a career as a sculptor. He rapidly rose to fame for his busts of England's aristocracy, and on his death left a fortune of ¨150,000 to the Royal Academy in order to found what is now known as the Chantrey Bequest.
The present bust of the Duke of Wellington is the primary version carved by the artist, commissioned by Lord Liverpool in 1820, when Wellington was a member of his Cabinet. All other examples, including the bust completed in 1828 for Wellington himself, are replicas (Potts, loc. cit).
Although, as a sitter, Wellington represented an almost larger than life personality, Chantrey has created a particularly heroic image of the Iron Duke, with the bold swathes of drapery, the slightly uplifted chin, and his decision not to soften the distinctive profile. It was also noted by a visitor to Chantrey's studio in 1822 that, unlike the bust of George IV, which was also in the studio at the time, Chantrey had incised the eyes of Wellington which, the artist explained, was because the duke's eyes were a much more prominent element of his expression (Potts, loc. cit.).