Post edited and updated 15 November 2024.
Bust of an Unknown Man.
attributed to John van Nost III.
suggested here as possibly Roubiliac
Louvre, Paris.
73.4 cm tall.
This post edited and updated 27 February 2021.
Formerly
attributed to Louis-François de Roubiliac (1702 -1762),
as Sir Edward Walpole
(1706-1784).
Acquired by the Louvre with an hypothetical attribution to Henry Cheere.
Attributed in 1992 by Malcom Baker to John Van Nost III? and dated circa 1750.
I am doubtful about this attribution and believe the sculptor of this bust needs to be reassessed.
My feeling is that it is slightly earlier than the 1750 date suggested perhaps circa 1735 - 1740, see the bust on the monument to Orlando Humfreys at Barking Parish Church (photographs below) and those of George Pitt at the V and A and St Michaels Church Stinsford, Dorset illustrated below
My feeling is that this bust is most likely to have been sculpted by Roubiliac, perhaps sub contracting to Henry Cheere.
Collection F. Leverton Harris; his sale, London, Christie's, Manson and Woods, 7th June 1928, Lot 42.
Acquired by Stettmer.
Collection of the dealer Camoin, Paris,
Acquired by the Louvre 1989.
The Louvre website is currently not great for images of 3 dimensional objects.
This bust could be by one of several sculptors - but it shows some distinct similarities with a bust of George Pitt by Henry Cheere in the Victoria and Albert Museum particularly the fluttering tie on the shirt.
It has for a log time been my suspicion that although Henry Cheere signed many sculptures, he might not have been the actual author of many of them - giving the carving work to men working in his workshop or subcontracting it.
We do not know how Roubiliac was employed after his arrival in England and before his statue of Handel for Vauxhall Gardens - it has been variously suggested that he was employed by Henry Cheere and Thomas Carter I.
Given that we know very little of what Roubiliac did between his arrival in London in 1730 and his first mention as an independent sculptor (Senesino in a newspaper in 1735) it is quite possible that he was working for Henry Cheere amongst others and continued to do so on and off into the 1740's.
Some of the men working for these sculptors would have been almost illiterate and it would obviously have suited Henry Cheere to keep these carvers in his workshop anonymous .
.
Roubiliac certainly worked a little later, from 1743 with Scheemakers (subcontracting?) on the busts at Trinity College Dublin which I will be coming to shortly on this blog. It is possible that Roubiliac in turn subcontracted some of the work for Trinity to John Van Nost III.
It might be that Mrs Esdaile was correct after all ascribing this bust to Roubiliac.
(Sir) Henry Cheere and his sculpture and sub contracting is a subject that I might approach in the future. Matthew Craske has already published on the subject in both The Silent Rhetoric of the Body pub. Yale 2007, and in The Lustrous Trade, ed Cinzia Sica.
Some earlier photographs of the same bust (below).
Old Photographs from the Louvre.
The Photograph of the above bust was identified as Sir Edward Walpole
from Roubiliac by Mrs Esdaile, pub in 1929.
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Marble bust of George Pitt (1663 - 1735).
Here attributed to Louis Francois Roubiliac.
Victoria and Albert Museum.
They say Henry Cheere?
"This is a finer version of the portrait on the monument to
George Pitt at Stinsford in Dorset, and was probably executed for Enscombe
House where Pitt's widow and son lived. Between August 1738 and April 1741
Pitt's widow made three paymounts, amounting to £146.8.0, to Henry Cheere.
These are probably related to the bust he monument at Stinsford and perhaps
some chimneypieces at Enscombe House, designed by John Pitt from 1834 onwards.
This marble portrait bust of George Pitt (1663-1735) of
Stratfield Saye, Hampshire, was made from a model executed by the sitter's son,
John Pitt (born about 1706; died 1787), an amateur architect of some
distinction. Another, more summary version of the bust is on the monument to
George Pitt in the church at Stinsford, Dorset. The present bust was almost
certainly produced as a more private memorial for the family home. The church
monument was based on a design by the architect James Gibbs (1682-1754), but
this bust was almost certainly made by Sir Henry Cheere (1703-1781). The finish
to the surface of the marble and the seemingly casual stylishness of the dress
support this attribution.
George Pitt was MP for a number of Dorset and Hampshire
constituencies between 1694 and 1727, and owned Stratfield Saye (later the home
of the Duke of Wellington). He was distantly related to William Pitt, Earl of
Chatham (Pitt the Elder)".
Photograph above courtesy V and A website.
Photographs above by the author.
Marble bust of George Pitt (1663 - 1735).
Formerly of Stratfield Saye.
They say by Henry Cheere (1703 - 81).
I would suggest Roubiliac sub contracted to Henry Cheere.
Height 74 cms.
Victoria and Albert Museum.
Bought by the V and A for £25,000 in 1981.
It is peculiar that there is no mention of the Stowe Catalogue entry on the V and A website!`
See the Stow Catalogue Illustration of 1848 below.
I sincerely hope the rather lumpy socle will be replaced at some time in the near future with something more appropriate.
I am posting this for comparison with the Louvre bust.
The V and A say -
"This is a finer
version of the portrait on the monument to George Pitt at Stinsford in Dorset,
and was probably executed for Encombe House where Pitt's widow and son (John) lived.
Between August 1738 and April 1741 Pitt's widow made three payments, amounting
to £146.8.0, to Henry Cheere....."
Another version of
this bust is on the monument to George Pitt at Stinsford, Dorset (see photograph below), and the
marble shown here was probably carved at the same date for the family's house.
The bust was said to have been 'executed from a model made after his death from
recollections by his son John Pitt', a distinguished amateur architect, and
shows George Pitt in the informal dress that was being used frequently by this
date for both painted and sculptural portraits.
______________
The Illustration and Catalogue entry for the "Bust of Prior"
From the Catalogue for the great Sale at Stowe of 1848.
Obviously this is not a bust of Prior but one of George Pitt described by the V and A as probably by Henry Cheere and by me and as more likely to be Roubiliac.
Not relevant to this post but this illustration also shows the marble sarcophagus which was reproduced by the Coade Manufactory.
So it is a bust of George Pitt of Stratfield Saye, bought at the sale of Mr Moreton Pitt of Kingston Maurward House in Dorset.
Presumably this is William Morton Pitt (died 1836) of Kingston House, Isle of Purbeck, Dorset.
W Morton Pitt, was the son of John Pitt of Encombe and Grandson of the sitter of the bust.
___________
refs.
Sale of Morton Pitts assets after his death see:
_________________________
The Bust of George Pitt.
They say Henry Cheere.
I think probably the sketch here was prepared for the catalogue engraving.
Image Courtesy National Portrait Gallery.
_________________
The Monument to George Pitt.
St Michael's Church.
Stinsford. Dorset.
These are currently the best photographs that I can find of this monument.
_______________________
The Bust on the Monument to Sir Orlando Humfreys.
St Margaret of Antioch, the Parish Church Barking.
1737.
Photographs here taken by the author.
Here attributed to Roubiliac with no evidence beyond the truly fantastic quality of the carving.
The conceit of the fluttering tie is once again used on this bust, suggesting to me that it was carved by the same sculptor as the three busts illustrated above.
I have already published the bust on the monument of Dr John Bamber with the bust by Roubiliac - There are several other fine monuments in this church and it is my intention to publish them all on this blog, but for the time being here are photographs of the bust of Orlando Humfreys and the very fine monument to him.
see -
Note the All Seeing Eye.
This is a very fine monument which could be much improved with the gentle application of a little "Fairy Liquid" diluted with water and a wipe.
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