William Cheselden (1688 - 1752). Plaster bust.
It has sustained some damage to the drapery.
Life Size. Height 61 cms.I suspect the socle is a replacement.
I am very grateful
to Bruce Simpson, Curator, Royal College of Surgeons for providing this
photograph (below).
Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus, known as Caracalla – from
the name of the Gallic robe he used to wear - was born in 186 A.D. to Giulia
Domna and Settimio Severo. He went down in history as a cruel emperor for
having ordered the assassination of his brother Geta, in 212 A.D.
The predominating historical sources for the rule of Caracalla are Cassius Dio and Herodias, both of whom portray the emperor in an overwhelmingly negative light.
They focus on the martial elements of his
character, his cruelty and question his fitness to rule over the empire, implying that his
mother Julia Domna shouldered the administrative and domestic burden of his
reign.
Much of the historical reporting on Caracalla from these
sources takes the form of reported gossip.
Herodias reports that rumours that Caracalla and his mother had a sexual relationship were so
current in Alexandria that she became widely known by the name of Oedipus’
mother Jocasta.
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The Busts of Caracalla - Some Notes -
I have recently investigated the various Busts of Caracalla with reference to a particular bust cast in 1792 in Coade's Artificial Stone.
see -
https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2026/01/coadestone-bust-of-caracalla-indented.html
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During Caracalla's sole reign two types of portrait seem to
have been current - the first type breaks with tradition. It is characterized
by a deep, grim, downward frown on the forehead. The head has a strong leftward
rotation. This is the version that was much copied in the 18th century by
Cavaceppi etc and is the version reproduced by Coade. It appears that the first
version of this bust to arrive in England is the bust at Holkham Hall in
Norfolk
The first type has been attributed to the first years of
Caracalla's sole reign, the second to 215-217 AD. Of the latter type, ten
examples have survived, all found in Italy.
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The Farnese Busts of Caracalla
At the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, in the Farnese Collection, there are two busts of Caracalla : one in armour, diagonally covered by the drapery of his cloak, originally part of a full statue found in the Baths of Caracalla, damaged and therefore cut into a bust (inv. 6033);
and a second portrait of the same type integrated by Carlo Albacini into a modern bust (inv. 6088).
1. The Farnese Caracalla, Naples - inventory no. 6088.
The bust in to which the head is inserted is not
original to it and given the form of the socle was perhaps added by Bartolemeo
Cavaceppi.
Cavaceppi also worked as a restorer for the Pope at the Museo Clementino. His fame was firmly established between 1768 and 1772, when he published three volumes of engraved images of works he had restored or possessed, the Raccolta d'antiche statue, busti, teste cognite.
The eared socle is typical of the work of Albacini and his large workshops on the Corso in Rome
But this type of socle has many ancient precidents and was much employed by Cavaceppi.
Cavaceppi had worked as a restorer for the Pope at the
Museo Clementino. His fame was firmly established between 1768 and 1772, when
he published three volumes of engraved images of works he had restored or
possessed, the Raccolta d'antiche statue, busti, teste cognite.
Albacini had formerly been an assistant of Bartolemeo Cavaceppi.
He restored classical sculptures, notably the Farnese marbles,
which Albacini worked on in 1786–89, in preparation for their transfer to
Naples under the direction of the German painter Hackert and Domenico
Venuti.[5] Some of his restorations were free, by modern standards: in the
famous Farnese Aphrodite Kallipygos at Naples, the head, the exposed right
breast, left arm and right leg below the knee are restorations by Albacini.
Bartolomeo Cavaceppi and Caracalla.
Another Marble bust of Caracalla by Bartolemeo Cavaceppi.
Norton Museum,West Palm Beach, Florida. USA.
Image below from.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/833059623452426/posts/5733820066709666/
Another closely related bust of Caracalla is that in the Torlonia Collection.
It appears that it too is an ancient head fitted into an 18th Century Bust.
Note the Cavaceppi Type socle.
https://www.fondazionetorlonia.org/portrait-caracalla-1
The socle on the Getty bust has distinct similarities with that on the copies by both Cavaceppi and Claus.
The Joseph Claus Bust dated 1757.
The St Louis Art Museum Caracalla by Joseph Claus.
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The Tiberius Auctions Marble Bust of Caracalla.
For Sale with Tiberius Auctions, Vienna, Austria. Lot 795 - Day 2 - 2nd December 2026
Dimensions - Height 66 cm (including the turned socle), width 53 cm.
The auction description gives a rather fanciful attribution to the workshop of Giambologna which I wnt bother with here.
The form of the socle here is very similar to that on the Albacini Bust in the National Museum at Naples,
Farnese Collection no. 6033.
Tentatively I will asctribe this bust below to the workshop of Albacini (1734 - 1807).
I first met Peter Hone when he came to see the Massive Pair of Cast Iron Gryphons from the Fonthill Estate which I purchased for Walcot Reclamation, of 108 Walct St Bath (with the able assistance of my apprentice John Robbins).
It was and still has been long and fruitful relationship.
Peter had just begun working for Clifton Little Venice, a venture set up at a shop in Warwick Place, by Jacob Rothschild as an adjunct to Clifton Nurseries in Little Venice, Maida Vale.
The idea being for Clifton Nurseries to be able to provide Antiques for the Garden alongside selling plants and a design service.
In May 1988 Peter held the first exhibition of Coade Stone since the companies demise in 1840 and the sale of the contents of the manufactory in 1843.
The Exhibition was held in 1988 at the Brooke Street Gallery, Mayfair, of Colefax and Fowler (since relocated to the Pimlico Road).
A Coade Stone model of an Hawk.
Thomas Dubbin dated 1836
Height 23 in. (58.5 cm.)
Lot 154 - 26 October 2016 from the Hone Collection sold by the late lamented Christie's South Ken.
15 ½ in. (39.3 cm.) diameter.
This relief was designated Coade by the Cataloguer but could it be earlier?
The Design of this Corinthian capital is illustrated in
Coade's A Descriptive Catalogue of Coade's Artificial Stone Manufactory,
Section XXVII Pieces of Furniture and Various Ornaments, 1784, p. 8, no. 179.,
The plate dated 1778.
14 ½ in. (36.5 cm.) high and smaller.
A Variation of No. 453. in Descriptive Catalogue of Coade's Artificial Stone Manufactory, 1784,
Section XVI, Keystones, p. 20,
Vase - 32 in. (81 cm.) high;
The Coade Reliefs of the Four Seasons.
One indented COADE, LAMBETH, 1795,
Another by James Cockaine.
The roundels are inscribed to the reverse 'Wanstead' perhaps suggesting they were originally part of the collection of Wanstead Park, Essex.
27 ¼ in. (69.2 cm.) diameter, the roundel.
James Cockaine (sometimes spelled Cockayne) (c.1768-1823) of Tottenham Court Road was recorded as a plaster manufacturer in 1802, and subsequently as a bronze figure manufacturer in 1811.
James Cockaine (c.1768-1823), figure maker in plaster and
brass, was insured at 5 Tottenham Court, Tottenham Court Road in 1804, 1808 and
1813 and on 3 Tottenham Court in 1806.
In both 1817 and 1818 he exhibited busts at the Royal Academy.
Following his death at the age of 55, the auction of his stock in January 1824 included models and casts by contemporary artists such as Flaxman and Chenu. Also included in the sale were moulds of classical subjects from mythology, and busts of celebrated historical figures such as Nelson, Joshua Reynolds and Mrs Siddons, as well as a ‘very fine leaden Statue of Neptune’ (The Times 15 January 1824).
Cockaine was the one of the principal suppliers of
plaster to the sculptor Sir Francis Chantrey, and a plaster figure inscribed
‘J. Cockaine/ New Road, Tottenham Court’ now in the Ashmolean Museum was
formerly in the collection of Chantrey.
As a plaster manufacturer of Tottenham Court, New Road, he was made bankrupt in 1813 (London Gazette 9 February 1813).
The bankruptcy
proceedings identify the amounts received from some of his customers including
the Duke of Buccleuch (£10.10s), Mr Mazzoni (£1.16s.4d), Mr Papworth,
perhaps the architect John Buonarotti Papworth (£6.2s.5d) and Mr Shout (£4.11s.4d) (National Archives, B 3/884). Cockaine is also recorded as doing
business with Peter Chenu (sculptor) to whom he owed a net sum of £49.12s.10d.
Cockaine worked for the Royal Academy, where he was
described in 1816 as ‘the Moulder in the employ of the Academy’ (Postle 2018
p.483).
He exhibited busts at the Royal Academy in 1817 and 1818.
Cockaine’s 64-year lease on his premises and his stock were
offered for sale at auction on 19 January 1824, including models and casts of
works by Chantrey, Flaxman, Chenu and others, and numerous moulds
including classical figures, statues of Sir Joshua Reynolds, Pitt, Sir John
Moore, ‘Wilson from nature’, Neptune and Victory, colossal busts of Nelson, St
Vincent, Howe and Duncan by Chantrey, Lord North, Mrs Siddons, John Kemble,
Charles Kemble, Shakespeare and various Greek philosophers, many fine alto and
bas reliefs by Flaxman etc, and a ‘very fine leaden Statue of Neptune’ (The
Times 15 January 1824).
A plaster figure, Ariadne or ‘Cleopatra’, apparently from the collection of Sir Francis Chantrey , marked: J. Cockaine/ New Road, Tottenham Court, is in the Ashmolean Museum (information from Peter Malone). A large oval in Coade stone or similar, Putto with grapes, is marked: James Cockaine (Peter Hone coll., Christie’s South Kensington, 26 October 2016 lot 14, incl. two others unmarked).
James Cockaine is presumably the ‘Mr Cockayne’ who appears to have been the principal supplier of plaster to Chantrey, for example in 1810 when he supplied the sculptor with coarse and fine plaster (Matthew Greg Sullivan, ‘Chantrey and the Original Models’, in Frederiksen 2010 p.295).
Cockaine, appears to have been John Flaxman’s principal plaster figure caster and moulder for many years, from the volume of payments, 1799-1822, with Flaxman’s reckoning of sums expended on plaster figure work (British Library, Add. MS 39791, ff.135-42,
Cockaine produced casts for Flaxman, 1813-16, during his work on the statue of Sir John Moore. He also did work in 1821 on a figure of St Michael, presumably relating to Flaxman’s large-scale St Michael Overcoming Satan.
Following his death, Cockaine was followed by William Pink
(qv) as Flaxman’s plaster cast, although in a more limited role.
A Reference to Cockaigne in the Soane Museum online collection
Coleorton, Leicestershire, 1802-08 (170). Builder's letter,
survey drawings, alternative designs, record drawing, preliminary design,
design and working drawings for Sir George Beaumont, 7th Baronet
image SM D1/14/6 Reference number SM D1/14/6
A note on the back of drawing [SM D2/12/1] for Micheldever Church states that Sr George Beaumonts Lion is / at Mr Cockayne's, Master Carter / In the new road 4 or 5 doors to the east / of Tottenham Court road. Cockayne does not appear in R. Gunnis, Dictionary of British sculptors 1660-1851, 2nd ed. [1964] but he may be 'J. Cockaine', Plaister of Paris - manuf., Mary-le-bone' in the Post-Office Annual Directory, 1811. The address is probably Alfred Place - a development east of Tottenham Court Road planned by Dance in 1803. James Carter's address was George Street, Grosvenor Square at this period but he may have owned a lease in Alfred Place or the note may refer to another Carter.
.....................
It is possibly a coincidence but there are two Coade Stone? busts (Herms) of Shakespeare and Milton at Coleorton, Leics. There are also busts of Raphael and Michelangelo - no further details
https://www.amsstonemasonsltd.co.uk/post/coleorton-hall-monuments-restored-to-former-glory
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of Tangential Interest Some Notes on Wanstead House.
In 1714 Sir Richard Child, 3rd Baronet, later Viscount Castlemaine and Earl Tylney of Castlemaine (d. 1750), commissioned the Scottish architect, Colen Campbell (d. 1729) to design a magnificent Palladian mansion, ‘the noblest Palladian House in England’ to replace an earlier house at Wanstead Park, Essex (T. Couzens, Hand of Fate: The History of the Longs, Wellesleys and the Draycot Estate in Wiltshire, Bradford on Avon, 2001, p. 61). The mansion, rendered with white Portland stone with a central section in the style of a Roman temple, a portico of six Corinthian columns (an innovation for this period), and a vast square footage (260 feet by 70 feet) comprising 58 bedrooms and nearly 50 other rooms was illustrated in the first edition of Campbell’s Vitruvius Britannicus (1715); it was intended to rival Blenheim Palace, the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough. William Kent (d. 1748), the foremost classical architect and furniture designer of the day, protégé of Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington (d. 1753), was responsible for the interiors and for some of the furniture. The house was completed by 1720 at a reported cost ranging from £200,000 to £360,000.
In 1787, the interiors were described thus, 'Two suites of grand
apartments, equally elegant and convenient, occupy the whole length of the
front; one on the right, the other on the left of the Saloon: these are all
well furnished, and finished in high taste; and contain some paintings by the
best masters, and some portraits and other family pictures; among which is a
small picture, containing portraits at length of the late Earl and his whole
family, by the celebrated Hogarth’ (Picturesque Views of the Principal Seats of
the Nobility and Gentry in England and Wales, 1787).
For the Greenhous at Wanstead see -
https://georgiangroup.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/GGJ_2010_04_Skelton.pdf
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Lot 57.
Lot 65
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Lot 85. The Coade Medici Urn.
Provenance - Enville. Staffordshire
