Monday, 25 July 2016

Bronze Bust of Lord Chesterfield Victoria and Albert Museum.

 
 
Bronze Bust of Philip Dormer Stanhope.

Fourth Earl of Chesterfield.

Louis Francois Roubiliac.
 
Victoria and Albert Museum.

Purchased from dealer Simon Spero in 1959 for £90.

Photographs here taken by the author.


I suspect that the socle and the block behind the bust are replacements - the hexagonal nut on the supporting strap is a giveaway!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



 
 
 


 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 



 
 
 

see also - 
 
 

Marble Bust of Lord Chesterfield - National Portrait Gallery.

 
 
The Marble bust of Philip Dormer Stanhope,
Fourth Earl of Chesterfield (1694 - 1773).
by Louis Francois Roubiliac.
 
National Portrait Gallery.
 
This bust of Lord Chesterfield is signed and dated 1745, ad vivum (from the life). Sittings must have taken place after Chesterfield's return from his diplomatic mission to The Hague (May 1745) and before his departure to take up office as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (July 1745).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This bust had belonged to George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, of Tutenkhamun fame, until 1918 when it was sold at Christie's London.
 
It is likely to have passed into the Carnarvon's possession via Lady Evelyn Stanhope, the sister and heiress of the 7th Earl of Chesterfield, who married the 4th Earl of Carnarvon in 1861.
In the Collection of Col. Sir Edward Allen Brotherton in 1959 when it was displayed at Kenwood House in an Exhibition of English Portrait Busts
Sold again at Christie's London, lot 70 3, April 1985.

Plaster Bust of Lord Chesterfield, British Museum.

 
 
 
Plaster Bust of William Dormer Stanhope
Fourth Earl Chesterfield
Louis Francois Roubiliac.
 
British Museum.
 
Purchased at the posthumous Roubiliac sale by Matthew Maty the biographer of Chesterfield - either lot 9 in second day's sale, 13 May 1762, lot 18 in third day's sale, 14 May 1762, or lot 20 in fourth day's sale, 15 May 1762.
Donated by Matthew Maty in 1762
 
The following photographs were lifted from the British Museum Website.
 
 
Unfortunately the resolution and lighting are not very good, with the possible exceptions of the black and white images no's 4 and 5 below. I will endeavour to obtain better photographs in due course.
 
 
 
For an informative and in depth study of this bust see -
Portrait Sculpture A Catalogue of the British Museum Collction, 1675 - 1975, by Aileen Dawson pub.1999, British Museum Press.
 
Height 66.3 cms
Cleaned at the Victoria and Albert Museum 8 November 1951.
 
 
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Plaster Bust of Lord Chesterfield Yale Centre for British Art.


 
 
Plaster  Bust of Philip Dormer Stanhope.

Fourth Earl of Chesterfield (1694 - 1773).

Louis Francois Roubiliac.
 
Yale Centre for British Art.
 

 
 
 
 



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Plaster.

Height 71.1 cms.

Chiselled on front of base: "[IL AJ] Y PENSE [HONL OIT] | A DEO ET REGE"
 

Bronze Bust of Lord Chesterfield in the Louvre.

 
 
Updated 18 February 2026.



The Bronze Bust of Lord Chesterfield.

Louis Francois Roubiliac.
 
 Height 48.2 cms.

Circa 1745.

In the Louvre, Paris.

Purchased July 2010.

An open letter ref. the blank spaces below where I had originally posted the images of the bronze bust of Chesterfield!

Dear Louvre

For some reason the powers that be at the Museum have decided that old links to photographs of the Museums holdings no longer work.

This is probably a vain and perhaps stupid attempt to withhold visual information so that no one might profit financialy from it.

We live in a world where digital technology can easily get around this sort of selfish and benighted behaviour.


I use software called Fastone (thank you Faststone) which allows me to easily crop and save as screen shots any image I wish to keep - there is a slight loss of resolution. but this can be remedied by sharpening in Adobe Photoshop.

Please stop this ridiculous behaviour and take a leaf from the Rijksmuseum website where they take an infiniterly more enlightened view on the subject of using their images.


The image below added 18 February 2026.

Courtesy Louvre website -