Wednesday, 18 June 2025

Two Plaster Busts attributed to the workshop of Louis Francois Roubiliac.

I have recently been taking a closer look at the socles used by Louis Francois Roubiliac on his busts.

This came about after being asked to consult on the identity of the sculptor of two anonymous marble busts- of Laocoon and the Anima Dannata..

A visit to photograph the busts at Goodwood House (in particular that of a young man in the guise of the "good" Emperor Trajan which uses the Roubiliac type socle), served to further confirm my belief that the use of this type of socle (with one exception by Wilton) was unique to Roubiliac.

I discuss these socles in my previous posts - apologies for the repetition!

https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2025/05/marble-bust-of-laocoon.html

https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2025/04/a-bust-of-unidentified-man-as-trajan-by.html

https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2025/03/louis-francois-roubiliac-joseph-wilton.html

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A Plaster bust of presumably a Classical Lady - possibly an Ideal Head.

Perhaps Aphrodite.

Life Size.

at Saltram House, Devon. Home of the Parker family since the mid 1740's.Transferred to the National Trust in 1957.

Photographed by the Author.

The loose hair on the shoulders is similar to that of the Cesi Venus or the Venus d'Arles but the topknot is quite different and resembles that on to Capitoline Venus, in Rome.

Equally one has to be careful as the hairstyle could be described as unisex. The Apollo Belvedere sports a similar topknot but without the long tresses over the shoulders.

The Roman marble seated Apollo with Lyre in Museo Nazionale Romano di Palazzo Altemps has distinct similarities in the hair as does the Apollo in the Sala della Biga in the Vatican.

There are distinct echoes of the Farnese Dionysus.

I have contacted Saltram and hope to learn more in due course.

Engraving from Raccolta.... Cavaceppi Vol.1.

1768.

https://cdh.rula.info/theatre-of-the-arts/featured-sculptures-v2/

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The Altempi Apollo.

The Statue of Apollo Citharoedus in the Capitoline Museum.

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The Young Marcus Aurelius (type A) or Commodus at Seaton Delaval Hall, Northumberland.

An 18th Century Plaster bust which uses the Roubiliac type socle.

In the posthumous Roubiliac sale of 13 May 1762 under the heading of Antique busts etc in plaister - Lot 46, Marcus Aurelius.

700 x 480 x 330 mm.

This bust was previously at Melton Constable Hall, Norfolk.

Images courtesy National Trust website.

https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1276622

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The Young Marcus Aurelius (or Commodus).

Cornell University.

Marble Bust.

Bartolemeo Cavaceppi (attributed!).

The use of the eared support on the socle certainly suggests that it might have come from the workshop of Cavaceppi.

Equally the slightly concave front of the eared support is a form used by Joseph Nollekens early in his career - it would be useful to have further images.

For a look at the eared support socles of Nollekens busts see -

https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2024/11/some-earlier-nollekens-busts.html

Image below and info from -

https://emuseum.cornell.edu/objects/50004/bust-of-the-young-marcus-aurelius-after-the-ancient-origina?ctx=30248343468d533dd90d04a86e328c441b12ee42&idx=34

These busts illustrated above are based on the marble bust of the young Marcus Aurelius in the Capitoline Museum, Rome

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The marble below is carved after a bust in the Capitoline Museums (inv. no. 454) which was discovered in the so-called Villa of Antoninus Pius, Lanuvium (Lanuvio), in 1701, and was subsequently in the collection of Cardinal Alessandro Albani.

To complicate issues there is a second bust of Commodus or the young Marcus Aurelius with a more complicated drapery seen here in the Tomasso Marble and the John Cheere plaster

The Tomasso Brothers Commodus.

Height 71 cms.

Sotheby's. Lot 94 - 29 April 2021 attributed to Bartolemeo Cavaceppi.

It has the eared support typical of Cavaceppi's workshop.

The oval plan shape of the Socle suggests that this bust was perhaps sculpted by Joseph Wilton whilst he was in Italy between 1749 - 1765).

Better photographs of the socle would help to identify the author - the busts of Commodus have been much copied.

The marble is carved after a bust in the Capitoline Museums (inv. no. 454) which was discovered in the so-called Villa of Antoninus Pius, Lanuvium (Lanuvio), in 1701, and was subsequently in the collection of Cardinal Alessandro Albani.

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/tomasso-the-more-a-thing-is-perfect/bust-of-the-emperor-commodus-as-a-boy-ad-161-192