Posted here to what I thought might be a brief respite to my 18th century studies.
All photographs taken by the author.
Who modelled and sculpted this masterful reclining figure of Thomas Hooke (d. 1677)?
The church dates from the medieval period. In a recess in the south wall of the chancel is a very fine white marble monument with a reclining full length figure in armour to Sir Thomas Hooke, baronet, who died in 1677.
He built and lived in a neighbouring manor, Tangier
House.
Unfortunately there is no inscription to give a clue to the author of this superb piece of 17th Century Sculpture.
I had visited the Church in order to obtain some photographs of the bust and monument of William Withers, which I wanted to compare with other Roubiliac busts - Nicholas Hawksmoor at All Souls Oxford, the bust on the Thomas Missing Monument of c. 1738 at Holy Rood Church, Crofton and the bust of Sir Charles Gounter Nichol on the Gounter Nichol Monument at Racton (based on a design by James Gibbs).
https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2018/05/the-portrait-sculpture-in-codrington_14.html
https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-bust-of-william-wither.html
It came as a very pleasant surprise to discover the what appears to be an excellent 17th century monument to Sir Thomas Hooke, 1st Baronet of Flanchford who died in 1677.
In Roubiliac and the Eighteenth Century Monument by David Bindman and Malcolm Baker. pub. Yale 1995 the figure is described as 18th Century?
Mrs Esdaile had suggested that the Parish records record it as by Roubiliac but Matthew Craske believed that the William Withers monument with the Roubiliac bust had been mistaken for it.
I will reserve judgement for the time being but I believe that it is so good that ...............!
The treatment of the lace and the details of the cutting of the hair bears comparison with that on the Roubiliac Monument at Tittleshall, Norfolk.
Hopefully my photographs here will do it justice.
...........................
The Bust of William Withers.
St Lawrence Parish Church.
Wootton St Lawrence. Near Basingstoke. Hampshire
The Monument is dated 1735 below the inscription.
