A BRONZE FIGURE OF A STATESMAN TRADITIONALLY CALLED GEORGE III

POSSIBLY BY LAWRENCE GAHAGAN, LATE 18TH CENTURY

細節

A BRONZE FIGURE OF A STATESMAN TRADITIONALLY CALLED GEORGE III
POSSIBLY BY LAWRENCE GAHAGAN, LATE 18TH CENTURY
Depicted standing wearing a wig with long queue and the Order of the Garter on his coat, on an integral octagonal base; together with a copy of the 1972 Christie's catalogue
10¾ in. (27.5 cm.) high

來源

Christie's, London, 1 February 1972, lot 95.
Cora Ginsburg.

拍品專文

This bust has traditionally been attributed to Lawrence Gahagan (active 1756-1820) who specialized in small scale bronzes of important figures of late Georgian England including Nelson and Wellington, as well as other prominent figures such as Czar Alexander I and Blucher. The Geoghegan family, originally from Dublin, moved to London in 1756 when they changed their name to Gahagan. At first, Lawrence met with little success, but eventually won first prize at the Society of Arts in 1777 for his medallion depiction of Alexander exhorting his Troops.

When the figure was sold by Christie's in 1972 it was identified as George III and said to be signed (which it is not) however a close inspection of his features show a variation from other portraits of the monarch. A polychrome figure of George III in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London is closely comparable in the figure's stance and details of costume (K. K. Yung, ed., National Portrait Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London,1981, p. 220, fig. 4383).

Lawrence's brothers, Sebastian and Vincent, as well as his sons and daughters, Charles, Edwin, Lucius and Sarah, were all sculptors in their own right and indeed, it has been suggested that many of Lawrence's portrait busts were actually sculpted by his son Lucius.