Wednesday, 30 September 2026

The Two Roubiliac Sale Catalogues at the British Museum.

 

The First Roubiliac Sale Catalogue.

by Abraham Langford of the Piazza Covent Garden.

Wednesday 12 May and the following three days.

At his Dwelling House in St Martins Lane.

I am truly very grateful to Alison Wright of the British Museum for going to the trouble of photographing and sending me this version of the Roubiliac Sale Catalogue and the second catalogue of the leftovers on the Roubiliac premises - Saturday 12 June 1762.


I have already published another copy of the sale catalogue -

https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-roubiliac-sale-catalogue-with-list.html

For Abraham Langford see -

https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2025/09/abraham-langford.html

This post is a work in progress.

I will add further notes as I progress.










Lot 39 - A figure of Religion in plaster - bought by (Arthur? Pond).

This is presumably a plaster cast of the marble figure of Religion at Belgrave Hall, Leicester originally from the roof of the temple in the garden at the house of Charles Jennens (d.1773) at Gopsall Hall (built 1749/50). (see my next post).














































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Sale of the Odds and Sods remaining at the Roubiliac premises after the first sale.

Saturday 12 June 1762.










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The Missing Roubiliac Portrait Busts.

 

Day 1.

 Lot 13. Mr Wildey. Plaster Bust.

 Lot 16.  A Gentleman. Plaster Bust.

 Lot 44. Mrs Nightingale. Mould in plaster.

 

Described in the catalogue and listed as Heads.

 Lot 77. Lord Shannon. Terracotta Head. Possibly related to the monument at Walton on Thames.

 Lot 78. Lady Shannon. Terracotta Head. Ditto see my post -

 http://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2020/08/richard-boyle-viscount-shannon-monument.html

  Lot 79. Mrs Lyon. Terracotta Head.

 

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Day 2.

 Lot 7. Dr Bradbury. Plaster Bust.

Lot 12. Mr Carter Statuary. Plaster Bust.

Lot 15, Captain McKenzies son. Plaster Bust.

Lot 17. Mr Floyd. Plaster Bust.

Lot 18. Mr Floyd. Plaster Bust.

Lot 20. Mr Capel Plaster Bust this is perhaps a relief. (Edward Capell {1713-81} known from engravings by Bartalozzi at the BM).

Lot 76. A Gentleman. Terracotta Bust.

Lot 81. A Gentleman Terracotta Bust.

Lot 77. ---- Capel. Terracotta, Bust.  (known from engravings by Bartalozzi and Anker Smith at the BM).

Lot 85. Mr Nightingale and his Lady, Terracotta Busts.

A Peter Nightingale (d, 1763) was a lead merchant! of Lea and Ashover Derbyshire.

 Could these be the models for the pair of lead busts traditionally believed to be Mr and Mrs Salmon in the V and A?

 Given that there were 6 of these busts in the sale it is odd that none have come to light

  

 Day 3.

 Lot 19, Councillor Floyd. Plaster Bust.

 Lot 4. Britannia - Plaster.

 Lot 6. Mr Floyde - Plaster.

 Lot 28. Two Plaster busts of Mr Nightingale and his Lady. (The Mould for Mrs Nightingale was Lot 44, Day 1). See my suggestion for Lot 85 on the previous day.

 Lot 29. Ditto.

 The identity of these Nightingales remains to be discovered, perhaps those on Roubiliac's Nightingale monument in Westminster Abbey although the "Salmon busts do not resemble the Nightingales on the monument.

 Lot 73. A Lady. Marble bust.

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