'BRONZED' PLASTER BUST OF JOHN LOCKE, AFTER JOHN CHEERE
LATE 18TH CENTURY
£1,625
Fine Furniture and Works of Art
Auction: 31 January 2018 at 10:00 GMT
Description
the sitter wearing an open collar shirt and looking slightly to the left, on a socle base
Dimensions
57cm high
Footnote
Provenance: The Lord and Lady Sutherland of Houndwood Collection
Note: Portrait busts of noteworthy men became popular in England in the mid-18th century, inspired by William Kent's 1731 design for Queen Charlotte's Grotto in Richmond. A philosopher and physician, John Locke (1632-1704) was one of the most influential figures of the Enlightenment. Depicted in an open collar shirt with unruly hair, this rendition of Locke is reminiscent of Rysbrack's bust at Welbeck Abbey, mainly because both derive from Kneller's portrait of 1698, and the later engraving by Vertue from 1713. A similar bust attributed to Cheere is in the collection of the V&A, A.84-1921; for a related bronzed terracotta bust of Locke, see Christies, Paris, 15 June 2016, lot 28