Wednesday, 23 August 2017

Soane Museum 7 - Statuette of Michelangelo by Flaxman and the busts of Michelangelo by Rysbrack



 Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475 - 1564).
 A Plaster Statuette.
Paired with a Statuette of Raphael.
by John Flaxman (1754 - 1826).

Soane Museum.

and the Busts of Michelangelo by Michael Rysbrack
after Daniele da Volterra.

some notes -

Soane Museum statuettes of Michaelangelo and Raphael.

A pair of these figures were made by Flaxman for the painter Sir Thomas Lawrence but it is not known which pair. Besides those illustrated here there is a pair at the Royal Academy and there was also a pair at University College (destroyed).
From January 1837 Maria Denman the sister in law of Flaxman negotiated the acquisition with the Trustees of Sir John Soane. They were at last sent to the museum on 6th December 1838.





Michelangelo Buonarroti.

Plaster Statuette.

John Flaxman.

Soane Museum.


Raphael.

Plaster Statuette.

John Flaxman.

Height 26 inches.

Soane Museum.
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Michelangelo.

John Flaxman.

Plaster Statuette.

26.8 inches.

Acquired 1909.

British Museum.



Sir Thomas Lawrence in his sitting room.

note the two plaster figures either side of the Laocoon.

331 x 429 mm

1830

British Museum
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Michelangelo.

Plaster Bust.

RIBA.

This bust along with a marble bust of Sir Christopher Wren and a Marble bust of Inigo Jones were presented to the RIBA in 1835 by HE Kendall.
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The Busts of Michaelangelo by and after Michael Rysbrack.

A Plaster bust of Michelangelo

Paired with a bust of Palladio

Se my previous post

Life Size

Private Collection







































Michelangelo.

Plaster bust paired with a bust of Palladio (see below).

Life Size.

Superb condition - minor restoration on the socle.

After Michael Rysbrack.

George Vertue mentions a bust of Michelangelo in the studio of Rysbrack sometime before 1732 
see Walpole Soc. Journal.XXII Vertue III. p.57.







I am very grateful to the owner for allowing me to photograph this bust and its companion bust of Palladio.


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Sir Joshua Reynolds and his bust of Michaelangelo.


Two portraits of Joshua Reynolds (- 1792) also depicting his much valued bust of  'Michael Angelo' 
The bust shown in these two portraits has always been referred to until now as the bust of Michelangelo by Daniele da Volterra but these must be versions of the bust by Michael Rysbrack. It would appear that Da Volterra left three bronze heads with busts and three heads of Michael Angelo in his studio when he died. (see article by Jeremy Warren below).
It is my contention that the Rysbrack bust, known before 1727 and seen by George Vertue was taken from a bronze head of Michelangelo by da Volterra which was probably in his own collection and which is believed to be that bust that was acquired by Richard Cosway and is now in the Ashmolean Museum Oxford.
Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792), PRA



Sir Joshua Reynolds with the bust of 'Michael Angelo'.

Angelica Kaufman.

oil on canvas.

127 x 101.5 cms.

1767.

Photograph courtesy National Trust, Saltram, Devon.
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Self Portrait of Sir Joshua Reynolds wearing his robes as Honarary Oxford DCL as President of the Royal Academy.

with a bust of Michelangelo.

Presented to the Royal Academy in 1780.


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







After Sir Joshua Reynolds

Self Portrait

Valentine Green

480 x 380 mm.

Mezzotint

I Dec 1780.

British Museum.

The bust in these portraits was the last item put up for auction - Lot 78 - 19 May 1821 by Christie's the in Pall Mall, in the sale of the properties of the Marchioness of Thomond, the niece of Sir Joshua Reynolds who had died the previous year. (Article from the Globe).

There is no mention of material.

see Art in England, 1821 - 1837 by William Whitley pub. Cambridge University Press 1930.
Sir Joshua Reynolds A Complete Catalogue... Mannings, pub. Yale 2000.



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The Portrait Bust of Michelangelo.

By Daniele Ricciarelli Da Volterra.

Ashmolean Museum.

A short essay from Renaissance Master Bronzes  ... Ashmolean by Jeremy Warren. 1999.







 Autoritratto con i busti di Michelangelo e Rubens

The provenance to Richard Cosway to my mind is perhaps now doubtful given that the bust of Micheal Angelo in this self portrait is full length and closer to the Rysbrack Model.

Illustration Courtesy Maria Cosway Fondazione, Lodi, Italy.



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Head of Michael Angelo.

Daniele da Volterra.

Ashmolean Museum. Oxford.

Photographed by the author.

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Michaelangelo.

Bronze Medallion.

58 mm.

by Leone Leoni.

1560.

British Museum.

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Woodcut portrait of Michelangelo from the offprint of Vasari's Life of Michelangelo



Michelangelo Buonarroti.

engraving from -

Lives of the Artists  by Vasari pub. 1550 and (this edition illustrated here) updated 1568.

125 x 106 mm.


Spencer Museum of Art. University of Kansas.


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Portrait of Michelangelo; bust turned to l, with beard, oval Pen and brown ink



Drawing attrib. to Passerotti.

Brown ink.

388 x 260 mm.

They say probably taken from a bust by Daniele da Volterra.

British Museum.
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Portrait of Michelangelo, bust in profile to l; round plate  Engraving



Michaelangelo.

Lambert Suavius.

Netherlands.

100mm diam.

Dated 1561- within the lifetime of Michael Angelo.

British Museum.


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Portrait of Michelangelo in profile facing right set within a recess after Enea Vico Engraving



Michaelangelo.

After Ennio Vico.

 pub. Pietro Stefanoni.

Engraving.

245 x 186 mm.

British Museum.

To be continued ................

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