William Penn (1644 - 1718)
Lead Statue.
at the Philadelphia Hospital.
Attributed to John Cheere
presented by John Penn in 1804.
The face supposedly based on the carving by Silvanus Bevan (1691 - 1765) (see below).
This statue was made for Lord Despenser of West Wycombe Park
Following a visit to Lord Le Despencer’s estate in
Buckinghamshire, England, Benjamin Franklin wrote that his friend “has lately
erected at Wycombe … a noble statue of William Penn holding in his hand a
scroll.” When Lord Le Despencer’s successor had the grounds of West
Wycombe,redesigned by Repton he sold the statue for old metal.
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The Percy Anecdotes: Original and Select, Volume 6
By Reuben Percy
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Photograph Courtesy Alamy
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Engraving after the relief carved by Silvanus Bevan
Text
incorporated into the design of the base below Penn's portrait bears the title
and reads: "William Penn, First Proprietor and Founder of
Pensilvania". Small text at bottom reads: " Drawn by D. Simitiere
from a bust in Alto Relievo done by Sylvanus Bevan. Said to be a good Likeness.
Philadelphia October 1770. Engraved by John Hall. London. 1773."
I have written at some length on the portrait reliefs carved by Silvanus Bevan
https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2014/03/silvanus-and-timothy-bevan-at-barbers.html
http://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2016/05/silvanus-bevan-portrait-reliefs.html
http://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2014/03/a-briefhistory-of-family-home-of.html
http://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2014/03/silvanus-bevan-amateur-sculptor.html
This image from the Royal Collection
see also
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Wedgwood relief of William Penn
after the ivory by Silvanus Bevan.
until recently in the family collection of Michael Waterhouse
at The American Philosophical Society
Height of Relief 4.5"
