Tuesday 11 October 2016

Bust of Lord Chesterfield by John van Nost III in the RDS Dublin.

 
A Marble Bust of Philip Dormer Stanhope
Lord Chesterfield
by John van Nost III in the RDS.
1769.
The Royal Dublin Society.
 
(Dublin Society commenced 1731)
It became the Royal Dublin Society 2nd April 1750.
 
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
President of the (Royal) Dublin Society 1745 - 46.
The bust was commissioned from van Nost in 1769.
He was paid 35 guineas.
 
The features of this bust should be compared with those on the bust of Chesterfield by Joseph Wilton.
It is almost impossible not to reach the conclusion that the van Nost bust is a version of Wiltons undraped marble bust in the British Museum. Se my post to come.
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Lord Chesterfield by John van Nost III photographed by the author 4 Oct 2014.

I am very grateful to Gerard Whelan, Librarian for allowing me the opportunity to visit the RDS
and to various members of staff for making the visit so pleasurable.
 
For the useful History of the Royal Dublin Society, by Henry Berry pub. 1914 see
 
 
I will be posting further pages of the busts of Madden and Prior by John van Nost III and other busts and sculpture at the RDS when I can find the time.




...............................

The Dublin Castle Bust of Lord Chesterfield Photographs - Second Series.

 
The Dublin Castle Bronze Bust of Philip Dormer Stanhope
4th Earl of Chesterfield (1694 - 1773).
Louis Francois Roubiliac.
Life Size.
 
Photographs - Second Series.
Taken at Dublin Castle 5 October 2016.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Photographed by the author 5th October 2016.
At Dublin Castle.
Generally speaking the photographs I take are posted in the highest resolution I can get away with, right click and save for enlarging.
 
I am very grateful to William Derham of Collections and Research at Dublin Castle for facilitating my visit to the castle and to Joanne Bannon for guiding me to the objects.
 
The other reason for my visit was to photograph the small equestrian statue of George II the miniature version of the John van Nost III statue from St Stephens Green, which I will be posting shortly
see my previous post -
 
 
For a useful summary of the life and busts of Lord Chesterfield see -
 

I thoroughly recommend William Derham's mammoth 400 page tome - Lost Ireland 1860 - 1960 pub. Hyde Park Editions
 
I am currently using this separate blog to file my photographs and unfinished notes on the subject of 18th century English Portrait Sculpture. It acts as a sort of aide memoire as well as filing system but as I have added pages it seems to have gathered its own momentum and taken on a life of its own.
 
Whilst in Dublin for a flying visit, arriving the evening of the 3rd - and departing the evening of the 6th October I was able to cram in visits to The Royal Dublin Society ( a taxi driver informed me that it is universally referred to as the RDS), The National Gallery (currently mostly closed), Trinity College Library, Dublin Castle, Christchurch and the Irish Architectural Archive in Merrion Square and to take photographs in all these places.
 
I was also very fortunate to meet the conservationist Michael Casey of Henrietta Street who showed me his extraordinary house.
 
 - 62 ko
 
The Bronze Bust of Lord Chesterfield acquired by the Louvre in 2010.
Sold by Sotheby's London 14 July 2010.
 
___________________________
 
 
  A possibly useful avenue of further research might be
the Diplomatic Papers of Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, 1720-1748.
in the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
 
A portrait of Lord Chesterfield that has recently discovered to have been painted by Stephen Slaughter in 1746 is also in Dublin Castle.
 
 

The Dublin Castle Bust of Lord Chesterfield Photographs - Second Series.

 
The Dublin Castle Bronze Bust of Philip Dormer Stanhope,
4th Earl of Chesterfield (1694 - 1773).
 
by Louis Francois Roubiliac.
Life Size.
Signed and Dated on the White Marble Socle 1746.
 
Photographs - Second Series.
Taken at Dublin Castle 5 October 2016.
 
It seems that monies were raised by public subscription to finance its purchase.
 
There is mention of two terracotta busts and three plaster busts of Chesterfield in the Roubiliac Sale Catalogue of 1 (British Museum) one of the latter bought by Dr Matthew Matey for the British Museum.
 
________________________
 
 
From the New Monthly Magazine January 1829.
extract belkow from an essay 'Irish Lords Lieutenant' by Lady Morgan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Photographed by the author 5th October 2016.
At Dublin Castle.
Generally speaking the photographs I take are posted in the highest resolution I can get away with, right click and save for enlarging.
 
I am very grateful to William Derham of Collections and Research at Dublin Castle for facilitating my visit to the castle and to Joanne Bannon for guiding me to the objects.
 
The other reason for my visit was to photograph the small equestrian statue of George II the miniature version of the John van Nost III statue from St Stephens Green, which I will be posting shortly - see my previous post on -
 
 I am currently using this separate blog to file my photographs and unfinished notes on the subject of 18th century English Portrait Sculpture. It acts as a sort of aide memoire as well as filing system but as I have added pages it seems to have gathered its own momentum and taken on a life of its own.
 
 
For a useful summary of the life and busts of Lord Chesterfield see -
 

I thoroughly recommend William Derham's mammoth 400 page tome - Lost Ireland 1860 - 1960 pub. Hyde Park Editions
 
 
 
Whilst in Dublin for a flying visit, arriving the evening of the 3rd - and departing the evening of the 6th October I was able to cram in visits to The Royal Dublin Society ( a taxi driver informed me that it is universally referred to as the RDS), The National Gallery (currently mostly closed), Trinity College Library, Dublin Castle, Christchurch and the Irish Architectural Archive in Merrion Square and to take photographs in all these places.
 
I was also very fortunate to meet the conservationist Michael Casey of Henrietta Street (my favourite Dublin Street) who showed me around his remarkable and extraordinary house.
 
 
 
 - 62 ko
 
This Bronze Bust of Lord Chesterfield acquired by the Louvre in 2010.
Sold by Sotheby's London 14 July 2010.
 
___________________________
 
 
  A possibly useful avenue of further research might be
the Diplomatic Papers of Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, 1720-1748.
in the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
 
A portrait of Lord Chesterfield that has recently discovered to have been painted by Stephen Slaughter in 1746 is also in Dublin Castle. I will post a photograph in the near future.