Description
silvered bronze, raised above an onyx sphere spacer on patinated bronze plinth base
Dimensions
18cm high
Footnote
Provenance: The Fine Art Society, London
Literature: Dorment, Richard 'Alfred Gilbert: Sculptor and Goldsmith', Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1986, p.129
Note: After joining the Royal Academy in 1873 and studying at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Alfred Gilbert went on to become one of the most influential sculptors of his generation and a leading figure in the New English Sculpture movement. 'Victory' was cast in 1887 and her dramatic pose, carefully balancing above an orb, encapsulates the New Sculpture preference to convey narrative through dynamic compositions. Whilst originally produced to surmount the orb held by the monarch in his 'Jubilee Memorial to Queen Victoria' at Winchester (1887), many reductions of this figure were subsequently made and Gilbert presented them to many of his friends, including John Singer Sargent and Seymour Lucas. Once described as "the Benvenuto Cellini of this age" by President of the Royal Academy Frederic, Lord Leighton, Gilbert's continual acclaim is a testament to his virtuoso skill as a bronze founder and goldsmith.