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Lot Essay
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE:
Aileen Dawson, Portrait Sculpture, A catalogue of the British Museum collection, c.1675-1975,, British Museum Publications, 1999.
Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) was considered one of the great men of the era. He initially trained as a lawyer in Edinburgh but gained an internationally celebrated reputation as an epic poet with The Lay of the Last Minstrel 1805, and The Lady of the Lake, 1810. He established his profile as a novelist in his first novel Waverley, 1814. His work in the 1820's went on to create a distinctive and influential 'Scottish Baronial' style. Scott, along with the Duke of Wellington, was one of the most famous individuals protrayed of the peroid.
During the Napoleonic Wars Francis Chantrey (1781-1841) established his reputation as a sculptor of great monuments, portaying his subjects with a noble simplicity. From the 1820's the demand for monumental tomb and secular sculpture eased off. Chantrey strove to elevate the status of the portrait bust, realised through his own virtuoso and achievements. He accepted commissions only from people he considered important, such as Sir Walter Scott. He executed the first bust in 1821, and a second commissioned for the Duke of Wellington in 1826. A later up-dated portrait was executed in 1836 and purchased by Sir Robert Peel. This bust was offered for sale Christie's London, 4 July 2000, lot 86. Chantrey's studio and other artists produced numerous replicas of this subject.
Aileen Dawson, Portrait Sculpture, A catalogue of the British Museum collection, c.1675-1975,, British Museum Publications, 1999.
Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) was considered one of the great men of the era. He initially trained as a lawyer in Edinburgh but gained an internationally celebrated reputation as an epic poet with The Lay of the Last Minstrel 1805, and The Lady of the Lake, 1810. He established his profile as a novelist in his first novel Waverley, 1814. His work in the 1820's went on to create a distinctive and influential 'Scottish Baronial' style. Scott, along with the Duke of Wellington, was one of the most famous individuals protrayed of the peroid.
During the Napoleonic Wars Francis Chantrey (1781-1841) established his reputation as a sculptor of great monuments, portaying his subjects with a noble simplicity. From the 1820's the demand for monumental tomb and secular sculpture eased off. Chantrey strove to elevate the status of the portrait bust, realised through his own virtuoso and achievements. He accepted commissions only from people he considered important, such as Sir Walter Scott. He executed the first bust in 1821, and a second commissioned for the Duke of Wellington in 1826. A later up-dated portrait was executed in 1836 and purchased by Sir Robert Peel. This bust was offered for sale Christie's London, 4 July 2000, lot 86. Chantrey's studio and other artists produced numerous replicas of this subject.