The Shirburn Castle Plaster Busts purchased in 1722.

 

The 35 'casts in jess' acquired by Thomas, 1st Earl of Macclesfield, described in a letter written by Lord Parker in Florence in January 1722.

The photographs here from Christie's on line catalogue.

https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-4618961

This page has a very good essay on the acquisition of the Shirburn Castle Plaster Busts in Florence.

It is not clear when they received the coat of grey paint 

Thence by descent at Shirburn Castle until sold at Christie's -  I Dec 2005.

Lot 50 -

Three Grey Painted Plaster busts of the infants Nero Marcus Aurelius and Geta.

ATTRIBUTED TO THE FLORENTINE GRAND DUCAL WORKSHOPS, AFTER THE ANTIQUE, CIRCA 1722

Each on an integrally cast shaped rectangular socle, two with paper labels to the reverse; representing the infant Nero with label to the reverse inscribed 'no. 27. (case 77)', the young Marcus Aurelius with label to the reverse 'no. 26 (case 74)' and Geta; surface dirt, minor chips and damages

19 to 20¼ in. (48.2 to 51.5 cm.) high, overall (3)

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Lot 51. Grey Painted Bust of Apollo.

Depicted facing slightly to dexter; above an integrally cast cartouche and circular socle; with paper label to the front inscribed 'Appollo'

[sic] and a paper label to the reverse inscribed 'no. 15.'; surface dirt, minor chips and damages

27½ in. (70 cm.) high, overall.

https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-4618962

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Lot 53 - Grey Painted Bust of The Dying Alexander.

The reverse with paper label inscribed 'no. 34.'; surface dirt, minor damages

26½ in. (67.3 cm.) high, overall

https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-4618964

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Lot 54. Grey Painted Bust of Bacchus after Michelangelo.

With paper label to the reverse inscribed 'no. 6.'; surface dirt, minor chips

19 in. (48.3 cm.) high, overall.

https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-4618965

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Lot 55 - A Pair of Plaster Busts of Young Emperors.

Each on an integrally cast moulded rectangular plinth, with paper labels to the front and reverse, one with label to the reverse inscribed 'no. 17'; surface dirt, minor chips and damages, restoration

22¾ in. (57.8 cm) high, overall.

https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-4618966

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Lot 56 - Four Grey Painted Plaster Female Busts.

Each on an integrally cast shaped rectangular socle, two with paper labels to the reverse; representing Sta Susanna, Diana (?) with paper label inscribed 'no. 11 (case 21)', Faustina Major with lable 'no. 16.' and Faustina Minor; surface dirt, minor chips and damages.

18½ to 22¾ in. (47 to 57.8 cm.) high, overall. 

https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-4618967

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Lot 65. Three Grey Painted Plaster Busts.

Each on an integrally cast shaped rectangular socle, two with paper labels to the front and reverse; representing the Dancing Faun, Venus de'Medici with label to the front inscribed 'Venus de Medicis' and label to the reverse 'no 1.', the Young Mercury with label to the front 'Mercury' and label to the reverse 'no. 32 (case 82.)'; surface dirt, minor chips and damages

17½ to 18¾ in. (44.4 to 47.6 cm.) high, overall.

https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-4618976

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Lot 66 A Grey Painted Plaster Bust of Costanza Bonarelli.

After Bernini.

with paper label to the reverse inscribed 'no. 22.'; surface dirt, minor chips

25½ in. (65 cm.) high, overall) (4)

https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-4618977

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Lot 67 - 5 Grey Painted Plaster Busts.

Four on integrally cast circular socles and one on an integrally cast shaped rectangular socle; each with paper label to the reverse and one with a paper label to the front; representing Marcus Aurelius with label to the front and label to the reverse 'no. 19. (case 36)', Vespasian with label to the reverse inscribed 'no. 21', the Dying Alexander with label to the reverse 'no. 26.', Titus with lable to the reverse 'no. 20. (case 43) and Augustus with label to the reverse 'no. 25.'; surface dirt, minor chips and damages; repairs to Augustus

19 3/8 to 26¾ in. (49.2 to 68 cm.) high, overall.

https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-4618978

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Lot 68 A Grey Painted Plaster Bust of Gita.

on an integrally cast moulded rectangular plinth, with paper label to the front indistinctly inscribed 'Young Augustus' and paper label to the reverse inscribed 'no. 8';

23 in. (58.5 cm) high, overall.

https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-4618979

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Macclesfield by Rysbrack Plaster Bust

Is this a bust of  Sir Thomas Parker, The First  Earl of Macclesfield (1697 - 1764).

by Michael Rysbrack?

A Bust of Macclesfield was modelled by J. M. Rysbrack (see - George Vertue, Notebooks, Wal. Soc., XXII, 1934, p 56, in 1732), a marble version not then known. 

A cast, bare-headed with drapery round shoulders, in the Shirburn Library sale, Christie’s, 1 December 2005, lot 71. (images below).

The images below have been lifted from the article in the Georgian Group Journal. Vol XVII 2009 pages 19 - 40. by David Wilson entitled A Very Early Portrait by Michael Rysbrack

I have attempted but have not been able to contact David Wilson.

 https://georgiangroup.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/GGJ_2009_02_WILSON.pdf

I have recently found myself looking at the various forms of Socles used by some English Sculptors in the 18th Century.

This has evolved from research into a very fine marble portrait bust of a young lady on a turned socle with what can best be described as an eared support below the bust now believed to be an unrecorded bust the bluestocking and sculptor Anne Seymour Damer by Joseph Nollekens. (below).

The eared support and turned socle are very close to the so called bust of Macclesfield, which appears to have first been used in England after Nollekens return from Rome in 1770 where he had been since 1761 - for at least some of his time in Rome was spent restoring antiques and working on portraits for Cavaceppi at his workshops/ studios on the Corso.

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Anne Seymour Damer attributed to Nollekens, 1780's.

Nollekens used a socle unique to him butt based on the form used by the Roman sculptor and restorer Bartolomeo Cavaceppi. which in turn was adapted from antique precedents.

https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2025/01/a-very-fine-marble-bust-of-lady-here.html

https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-portraits-of-anne-seymour-damer.html

For The Nollekens Socle with the Eared support to the bust see -

https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2024/11/some-earlier-nollekens-busts.html

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The Bartolomeo Cavaceppi Type Socle.

Catharina Maria Møsting (1714-1770). Gräfin /Countess Schulin.

 Bartolomeo Cavaceppi (1719 - 99).

 Life Size Marble Bust.

 1768.

 Schloss Frederiksborg, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Image courtesy Johnny Tomasso.

https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2025/01/a-remarkable-bust-by-cavaceppi-in.html

for more on the socles of Cavaceppi's busts see -

https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2024/11/cavaceppi-and-eared-socle.html

There are numerous examples of ancient bust which were restored in Cavaceppi's very large atelier on the Corso in Rome.

https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2024/11/cavaceppi-and-eared-socle.html

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Some time later I revived ongoing researches into a a very fine copy of Anima Dannata proposed as by Joseph Wilton by Offered by Christie's 7 December 2023.

https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6458288

I now consider to be have been sculpted by Louis Francois Roubiliac, given the evidence of the Roubiliac type socle. This socle is (almost) unique to the busts of Roubiliac. There is a marble bust of Lord Chesterfield of 1757 by Joseph Wilton in the British Museum which has a similar socle with a bronze plaque on the front.

It is quite possible that the carving of the socles were either made in the workshop or carved by sub contractors.

For a close look at the Roubiliac Type Socle see -

https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2025/03/louis-francois-roubiliac-joseph-wilton.html

In July 1752, Roubiliac travelled with the portrait painter Thomas Hudsons to Rome, where he is said perhaps to have exclaimed that the sculpture of Bernini made his own look ‘meagre and starved, as if made of nothing but tobacco pipes’.

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The Putative Plaster Bust of  Sir Thomas Parker 

The First Earl of Macclesfield (1697 - 1764).

If this is the bust mentioned by George Vertue in 1724 (and I suspect that it isn't) Macclesfield would have been aged 27.

I suspect that this is a much later cast (1770's - 1780's) of an as yet unidentified bust by Nollekens.

In the post below I look at the Nollekens type socle used frequently but not exclusively until the 1790's.

The Nollekens socles had eared supports with a slightly convex panel.

https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2024/11/some-earlier-nollekens-busts.html