Marble bust of Queen Caroline by Rysbrack, Wallace Collection and its Variations.

Marble bust of Queen Caroline (1683 - 1737).
Princess Wilhelmina Charlotte Carolina
of Brandenberg - Ansbach,
Consort of George II.

by Michael Rysbrack, 

in the Wallace Collection and Its variants in Terracotta and Marble.

see my earlier posts regarding the pair of busts of George II and Queen Caroline and their setting up in the  library at St James Palace built for Queen Caroline and where she collapsed and died on 20 November 1737.


https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/the-busts-in-queen-carolines-library.html

Sothebys not unreasonably, suggest in their catalogue that the Howard Hodgkin George II could originally have been paired with the bust of Queen Caroline now in the Wallace Collection.
(see photograph below showing the distinct similarities of the inscriptions and my previous post).


According to George Vertue Queen Caroline never sat to Rysbrack - the busts of her are posthumous.

The engravings illustrated below would perhaps have been references for the Rysbrack's busts.

George Vertue reports - In June 1735 - Queen Caroline 'made a visit to Mr Rysbrake to see his works and especially the equestrian statue of K.William in brass that is to be set up in Bristol' and goes on 'also the busts of Marble of Kings and Queens done lately by him to adorn some palace. upon her seeing K. James I face she turned about and said si il me semble a une boureau I wont have that done, she said, one may guess she forgot from whence her succession came and also, lyes or what had been ingrafted or told her about that king.

In 1738 after the Queens death Vertue notes - 'Mr Rysbrack has finished as model of the Kings face in Wax, only at opportunities of seeing the king that is thought very like'.

 After the death of Queen Caroline George Vertue wrote ' as he has done more eminent and noble persons from the life his great merit has recommended him to the KING, who sat for him at Kensington twice, to have his picture modelled in clay. the likeness much approved on - and with a good air. also a Model of the Queen vastly like, tho not done from the life'.

In 1739 Vertue recorded that ‘two Marble Bustos the one of his present Majesty from a Model done from the life by Mr Rysbrack – and another busto of the late Majesty Q. Caroline, both were erected in the New Library at St. James, Green Park’

Inscription on the Sotheby / Howard Hodgkin bust of George II.

The similarity of these two inscriptions would appear to confirm that the two busts were sculpted at the same time

Height 68.6 cms.

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Queen Caroline

Michael Rysbrack

Terracotta

Royal Collection

The two sittings Rysbrack had with George II resulted in the much weathered Portland stone statue for the Greenwich Hospital erected in 1735, and the terracotta and marble busts, of the king dated 1738 The marble busts for the Queen's new library at St James's Palace. 

The terracotta of Queen Caroline is incised and dated posthumously, 1739. 

The terracotta busts were at Teddersley Park, 1953, and are now with the marbles in the Royal collection, they were probably bought at the  Rysbrack sale by Sir Edward Littleton for Teddesly Hall where they remained until sold by Spink in 1932.

They were purchased by Queen Mary

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Queen Caroline

Michael Rysbrack

Terracotta

Rijksmuseum

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Queen Caroline

Michael Rysbrack

Marble

Royal Collection.

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Queen Caroline

Joseph Highmore

1735

Royal Collection.

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Queen Caroline
after Joseph Highmore
Mezzotint
John Faber
1730's
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Queen Caroline
after Vanderbank
by John Faber
Mezzotint


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Queen Caroline
after the original by Vanderbank
1735
John Faber
Mezzotint
dated 1739

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Queen Caroline

after Vanderbank

Mezzotint

Royal Collection

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Queen Caroline
After Amiconi
signed A van Haeken
1736
Mezzotint
35.7 x 25.6 platemark.

Royal Collection.

Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017

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Queen Caroline
John Faber

after Highmore
Mezzotint
17.5 x 12.5 cms.

Royal Collection

Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017
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Queen Caroline and the Royal Family

National Portrait Gallery

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Queen Caroline
Joseph Highmore
wrongly ascribed to Michael Dahl
(see engraving by Faber above).
c.1730.

Warwick Shire Hall

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Queen Caroline
After John Vanderbank
oil on canvas
125 x 99 cms.

The original at Goodwood House.

Queen's College, Oxford.

image from Art UK.

https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/caroline-queen-consort-of-george-ii-16831737-223720

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Queen Caroline

Christian Freiderich Zinke (1683 - 1767).

4.7 x 4.0 cms sight size.

Enamel

c. 1727.

Compare with the medallion below by John Croker.

Note similarities of hairstyle.

Miniature one of two versions in the collection -

believed to have been in the Royal Collection since it was painted

Royal Collection.

Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017

Queen Caroline
John Croker (1670 - 1741).
Gold Medallion
Diam 3.48 cms.
Commemorating the Coronation of  George II.
1728

Compare with enamel miniature above.

see - https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/search#/26/collection/443221/medal-commemorating-the-coronation-of-queen-caroline


Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017


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George I and the future George II and Queen Caroline
National Portrait Gallery.


Postscript




Engraving
1737
British Museum.