Some Notes - Post in Preparation.
There is a missing bust of Dashwood by Thomas Scheemakers 1740 - 1808) (son of Peter Scheemakers) noted in the Biographical Dictionary of Sculptors .... Ref Gunnis 1968 p 344.
The Busts of Sir Francis Dashwood by Thomas Scheemakers.
Le Despencer employed Scheemakers at both Mereworth and West Wycombe in 1779 - 80 and the sculptor’s bust of his patron is said to have been exhibited in 1779 (presumably Free Society of Artists, London, 1779, no.147, ‘a nobleman’; cf. National Trust Guide, West Wycombe, 2001, p 12).
A plaster cast or casts of a bust of le Despencer appeared in the Scheemakers sale, Christie’s, 21 May 1805 (R. Gunnis, Dictionary of British Sculpture, 1968 ed., p 344).
For a Biography Thomas Scheemakers see -
https://gunnis.henry-moore.org/henrymoore/sculptor/browserecord.php?-action=browse&-recid=2371
Both the Gunnis Henry Moore and the Biographical Dictionary of British Sculptors ... Yale 2009 state that Thomas Scheemakers was the son of Peter Scheemakers.
But in the Wikipedia entry the author makes the very forceful argument that he was the son of Henry Scheemakers (d.1748 in Paris and brother of Peter) and that he was was born in Paris in 1740.
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Scheemakers' account for mason's work done for Lord Le
Despencer [Francis Dashwood] in constructing a stone portico at Mereworth.
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This is another post prompted by the investigation into the use of Roubiliac's "late type" socle on a bust by what has been until now anonymous sculptor - as far as I can tell the type of socle appears to have only been used in the 1750's almost uniquely by Roubiliac and is probably based on the precedent of the socle used by the Carrara sculptor Giovanni Antonio Cybei (1706 - 84).
The Scheemakers bust of Francis Dashwood is the exception to the rule.
The Cybei socle is more elongated but can be seen clearly on the two busts of the Marble Merchants the Chapman Bird brothers of Millbank, Westminster, currently on loan to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
see my previous post on the Chapman Bird brothers busts.
Once again a big thank you to Dino Tomasso of Tomasso Brothers for initiating this study, prompted by researches into the origin of a very fine marble bust of Laocoon ,which led to researches into the specific type of socle seen on the first two busts illustrated here and the identification of the sculptor of several previously unattributed mid 18th century busts
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The Three Busts of Sir Francis Dashwood at West Wycombe Park.
This has been a very unusual opportunity to examine three contemporary 18th century plaster busts of the same sitter.
The portrait of Sir Francis Dashwood, aged 68 by Nathaniel Dance at the NPG.
The resemblance of this portrait to the three West Wycombe Busts is obvious.
It is worth mentioning that there also three busts of John Fayne, the Earl of Westmorland by Adye at West Wycombe (the marble is in the V and A).
Two other members of Sir Francis Dashwood's so called Hell Fire Club were sculpted by Louis Francois Roubiliac. see my posts - John Wilkes and Paul Whitehead.
For the bust of Wilkes see -
For the bust of Paul Whitehead see my next post-
Within the South Portico in front of the Hall is a series of plaster busts most of which appear to have suffered from some weathering and have been painted, very badly (the paint has been applied directly on to the uncleaned surface perhaps with at least twice to resemble a sort of bronze, but this paint is thick and flaky and it is impossible to tell the quality of what remains of the original surface underneath.
All three busts of Sir Francis Dashwood are plaster casts although the bust in the Entrance Hall has been painted to resemble terracotta.
This bust has a substantial wooden peg or dowel visible from beneath the back suggesting that it might have been damaged in the past and the head reattached and the surface restored.
The bust of Francis Dashwood in the South Portico has been painted to resemble bronze and is in the worst condition of the three.
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No.1 the Plaster Bust of Francis Dashwood in the Entrance Hall on the South side of the House.
Photographed by the author with permission from the Dashwood estate office - I am very grateful to have been allowed this opportunity once again.
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No 2. The Plaster Bust of Sir Francis Dashwood in the "Stewards Room".
The bust itself is in by by far the best condition and gives a good impression of what the sculptor intended.
The Socle has been broken and glued back together and painted black
Painted in the traditional Stone Colour.
I will need to return to West Wycombe to determine whether this is the original finish and how many coats of paint have been applied.
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The Third Bust of Sir Francis Dashwood, now in the Portico at West Wycombe.
This bust has the swept back base typical of many Roubiliac busts - this suggests to me that it might be one of the first casts taken from the original terracotta. and that the bases of the two busts illustrated above have been adapted so that they sit comfortably on the (Roubiliac Late Type) socles.
It would be useful to know when this bust and the series of classical plaster busts which all have the same finish as this bust (except for the bust of Nero) in the Portico were painted. and what with?
and to know when they entered the collection at West Wycombe.
It would be a very interesting exercise to have this overpainting removed and to be able to investigate what might be left of the original surface.
For a brief, measured and unsensationalised biography of Dashwood see -
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For a very useful article by Clare Hornsby on the architecture of West Wycombe see -
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The Roubiliac Later Type Socle.
Mary Okeover.
Marble Bust - Height 58.4 cms.
c. 1745.
I have contacted Okeover but both the busts of the Okeovers (the marble bust of Leake Okover by Joseph Wilton) appear to have
disappeared.
This bust was perhaps carved by the
Danish Sculptor Charles Stanley but I now consider that it is much more likely
to have come from the workshop of Roubiliac.
My argument here again rests on the use
of a form of socle unique to Roubiliac and the repetition of the drapery.
https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2021/02/marble-bust-by-charles-stanley-of-mary.html
The socle on an
unsigned marble bust of the young Marcus Aurelius now at Seaton Delaval and previously
at Melton Constable Hall, Norfolk follows the same pattern.
Another pointer to the Roubiliac authorship is the use of
the same drapery on another bust on the Maynard Monument see below. - Another
feature that appears only on Roubiliac's busts.
A slightly better photograph of the missing bust of Mary Okeover.
Photograph courtesy Conway Library.
The Life Size Bust of Elizabeth Lady Maynard on the Maynard Monument at Little Easton, Essex.
Showing the use of the same dress as that on Mary Okeford, but utilising the fairly standard square plan waisted socle of the mid 18th century.
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The Anima Dannata after Bernini.
Roubiliac.
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The Goodwood Bust.
This bust is adapted from an antique bust of the Emperor Trajan.
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Sir Peter Warren.
The Marble Bust.
Roubiliac.
Huntington Library. San Marino, California.
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A Plaster Bust possibly of Apollo - an Ideal Head.
Perhaps Aphrodite.
Life Size.
at Saltram House. Devon
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.
https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2021/02/marble-bust-by-charles-stanley-of-mary.html
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The Monument to John Bamber (c.1754).
St Margaret of Antioch Church. Barking, Essex.
Here again Roubiliac utilises the same drapery as that found on the various versions of the busts of Andrew
Fountaine and on the bust of Thomas Winnington on the monument at Stanford on Teme Worcs.
c.1754.
A Plaster Bust possibly of Apollo - an Ideal Head.
Perhaps Aphrodite.
Life Size.
at Saltram House, Devon.
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.
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The Seaton Delaval Plaster Bust of Commodus / the young Marcus Aurelius
Again attributed to Roubiliac given the evidence of the socle.
