JOHN EVAN THOMAS (BRITISH 1810-1873)
SIR WALTER SCOTT
£4,875
Auction: 30 September 2015 at 11:00 BST
Description
fine white marble bust, signed and dated, after the model by Sir Francis Legatt Chantrey
Dimensions
75cm high
Footnote
Note: This white marble bust of Scott, after a model by the renowned portrait sculptor Francis Legatt Chantrey (1781-1841) is famed for its likeness of the author as well as capturing a sense of his character. The original model by Chantrey was executed after requesting a sitting with Scott in 1820. Dissatisfied with his original clay composition, the sculptor reportedly took a wire to the neck and re-positioned the head in its current place, facing to the left. A plaster cast of the bust was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1821 and the marble version was completed in 1822. In 1828 it was presented to Scott by the artist and now resides in the library at Abbotsford. A second version by Chantrey was commissioned by the Duke of Wellington in 1821 and completed in 1826. It is now located in the collection at Stratfield Saye, the Duke of Wellington's estate on the Hampshire/Berkshire border. A third revised version, started in 1828 and known as the 'Peel' bust, is now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. John Evan Thomas started his apprenticeship in Chantrey's studio in 1824 at the age of fourteen and would certainly have been there while both the 'Abbotsford' and 'Wellington' busts were being carved and it is likely that Thomas has some hand in their creation.