The Rysbrack Statuettes of Rubens, van Dyck and du Quesnoy, Part 22, The West Wycombe Plaster Statuettes of Rubens and van Dyck.

A  Pair of Plaster Statuettes of Rubens and van Dyck

After the original Terracottas by Michael Rysbrack.

at West Wycombe Park.

 

 

Plaster statuette of van Dyck - signed and dated Mich Rysbrack 1743.

Paired with a statuette of Rubens.

 

I am extremely grateful to Sir Edward Dashwood and to his staff for allowing me to visit West Wycombe Park and to photograph the sculptures.

 

 

Detail of the foot showing the fine detail of the brocade draped over the column.

 

 

 

A rear view of the plaster statuette of van Dyck - this pair are the only examples with open backs - perhaps suggesting that they were adapted for a particular position.

 

Even the most ordered households occasionally have accidents - this photograph clearly shows the damage to the left arm which is broken in two places and the hand has lost its fingers - It shows how delicate these figures are and therefore such rare survivals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Detail of the lace collar with florettes which is very close to the Greene Grisailles but differs markedly from the Bristol terracotta

 

 

 

 

Detail of the Rysbrack signature and date on the right side of the supporting column.

 

So far this statuette and the West Wycombe Rubens are the only known plasters of these figures signed inscriptions by Rysbrack.

 

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The Greene Grisailles of Rysbrack's Terracotta Statuette of van Dyck.

note detail of the lace collar.

 signed W. Greene Jnr. Pinxit. 1747.

each - 710 x 438 mm.

Current location unknown.

 

For more on the Greene Grisailles see my blog post -

 

http://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/the-rysbrack-statuettes-of-rubens-van.html

 

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Peter Paul Rubens.

Plaster Statuette paired with a statuette of van Dyck.

Height 24"

Signature missing.

 

West Wycombe Park.

 

I am extremely grateful to Sir Edward Dashwood and to his staff for allowing me to visit West Wycombe Park and to photograph the sculptures.

 

 

 

There is extensive damage and repaint on the left side of the supporting column where the signature would have been. His left foot has become detached. The back is open as is the West Wycombe van Dyck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Greene Grisailles of Rysbrack's Terracotta Statuette of Rubens.

Note again detail of the lace collar.

 signed W. Greene Jnr. Pinxit. 1747.

each - 710 x 438 mm.

Current location unknown.

 

For more on the Greene Grisailles see my blog post -

 

http://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/the-rysbrack-statuettes-of-rubens-van.html

The Rysbrack Statuettes of Rubens, van Dyck and du Quesnoy, Part 21, A Terracotta Statuette of Francois du Quesnoy. Bristol

A Terracotta Statuette of Francois du Quesnoy.

by Michael Rysbrack.

Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.

 A terracotta Statuette of Francois du Quesnoy (il Fiammingo).

Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.

He is shown holding his mallet and leaning against 'The Belvedere Torso'.

It is my feeling that like the Bristol terracotta of van Dyke, this is also a cast of a cast - the detailing particularly of the hair and face is rather coarse.

For a discussion (with a couple of factual inaccuracies which are corrected here) about the sculpture of du Quesnoy (il Fiammingo) by Rysbrack see - Burlington Magazine - 5 October 1963.

see also my blog posting - http://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/the-rysbrack-statuettes-of-rubens-van_10.html

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 Photograph of a statuette of du Quesnoy from the Burlington Magazine. Sold lot 99, Sotheby's 4th December 1956 paired with a statuette of van Dyck (subsequently shown that both were of plaster not terracotta). Height 21.5 inches, 55 cms approx.

Both statuettes still remain unaccounted for.

Photograph above lifted from the Burlington Magazine - 5 October 1963.

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Scan of the Sotheby's Catalogue entry Lot 99 - 4th December, 1956.

For more on the plaster statuettes of Rubens, van Dyck and du Quesnoy see future posts.

I am very grateful for everyone in the Sculpture Department at Sotheby's for providing me with this image.

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 The Belvedere Torso in Museo Pio Clementino in The Vatican Museums.

Engraving Jan de Bisschop

1672 - 89.

198 x 120 mm

British Museum

Jan de Bisschop

1682 - 89

135 x 224 m

British Museum

From Hogarth's Analysis of Beauty 1753

A yard at Hyde Park Corner - possibly of John Cheere

Showing the Belvedere Torso , the Farnese Hercules and the Laocoon

Excellent High res Scan from the Metropolitan Museum, New York.

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All black and white photographs here were lifted from the article in the Burlington Magazine - 5 October 1963 written by FJB Watson in memory of Isabel Webb.

The bust acquired by the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto in 1954.

Sold lot 43 at the Rysbrack sale of 20th April 1765, the marble version (see below) was sold, lot 65 at the same sale. The unsigned marble is now in the de Ciccio Collection, in the Museo di Capodimonte, Naples where it was put on display in 1959. The terracotta of Rubens was sold in the same sale lot 44 - it came to light at a sale at Christie's lot 17 29 June 1961.

George Vertue in his notebooks had noted three busts in marble - he had done.- of - Rubens - Quellin & Vandyke - are highly finish. and masterly done - are standing proof of his great skill. The reference to Quellin being a mistake for du Quesnoy.

  

The de Ciccio marble bust of du Quesnoy by Michael Rysbrack (unsigned), Museo di Capodimonte, Naples.

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Francois Du Quesnoy.

Engraving by Claude Randon, 1660 - 80,

155mm x 116 mm,

A very interesting engraving in that it shows the tools of the trade of the sculptor - his drill, dividers, rasps, mallet and chisel. based on an anonymous oil on canvas portrait in the Accademia di San Luca, Rome.

British Museum.

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Francois du Quesnoy

after Bellori (1630 - 96).

Engraved Benedetto Eredi,

pub. Hugford Florence,

1769 - 75.

176 mm x 129 mm.

A later Italian engraving of about 1770, using the engraving by Randon (above) as its source.

Another disputed image of du Quesnoy after an original by Chatrles le Brun.

Later prints lettered below the image 'Done from a Picture in the Collection of the Right Honble, the Earl of Besborough. / Le Brun Pinxt. / Robt. Sayer Excudit /

W Pether fecit / London Printed for Robt, Sayer,  Printseller, No. 53, Fleet Street.

The original is now in the Residenz Gallerie, Salzburg'. 503 x 354 mm.

British Museum.

 Francois du Quesnoy.

after the original by Anthony van Dyck

Pieter van Bleek (1700 - 64).

Worked in London from 1723 until his death.

Mezzotint

1751

 354 mm ×  245 mm.

Rysbrack appears to have drawn his inspiration for his sculptures of du Quesnoy from the engraving by Randon.


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The Rysbrack Statuettes of Rubens, van Dyck and du Quesnoy, Part 20, A Terracotta relief of van Dyck.

 A Terracotta Relief of Anthony van Dyck

Here attributed to Michael Rysbrack.

 

 

Anthony van Dyck

Here attributed to Michael Rysbrack.

415 x 362 x 76 mm.

Purchased in 1872

Koninklijke Musea, Brussels.

 

See Michael Rysbrack,  Kate Eustace

Bristol Museums Exhibition Catalogue 1982.

 

"Dr Charles Avery recently pointed out that it had close affinities with the Bristol van Dyck. But whether it is by Rysbrack remains open to question"

 

 

 

 

 

The Bristol Terracotta van Dyck.

 

 

The Greene Grisaille.

 

It should be noted that the detail of the collar is very close to the terracotta relief but varies  substantially from the Bristol terracotta of van Dyck.

The form of the collar is much closer to the original busts of van Dyck.

 

 

 

The Rysbrack Statuettes of Rubens, van Dyck and du Quesnoy, Part 19, The Bristol Terracotta Statuettes of van Dyck by Rysbrack.

The Terracotta Statuette of Anthony van Dyck

By Michael Rysbrack.

 

 

The Terracotta Statuette of Anthony van Dyck.

572 mm.

Inscribed ANTONIUS VAN DYCK EQUE.

The City of Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.

 

Purchased by the gallery in 1957 from Mr H Ross of Bridgwater, who had acquired it locally.

 

This is not the original terracotta. Compared with the original terracotta of Rubens the definition and finish is not nearly as refined.

 

Katherine Eustace and Mary Greenacre in the Bristol Museums Catalogue of 1982 suggest that it was press moulded - that the clay is pressed into a plaster piece mould taken from the original terracotta, but this does not explain why it is lacking in definition. Close comparison with the lace collars on the terracotta of Rubens show much coarser modelling on the van Dyck, although the impressed mark on the back, which is not very well defined, rather like the Brussels Museum Rubens, shows that this statuette must have been moulded from an earlier original, perhaps a plaster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rear view of the Bristol van Dyck with inscription ANTONIUS VAN DYCK EQUE.

 

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Details of the Collars of the Original Terracotta Rubens and the recast van Dyck.

 

 

Detail of the Collar of the Original Terracotta of Rubens by Michael Rysbrack.

 

 

 

Detail of the Collar of the Bristol Terracotta van Dyck.

 

 

 Detail of the Hagley Hall Marble Bust of van Dyck.

 

 

 

Detail of the Plaster van Dyck - Private Collection.

 

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Details of Inscribed Signatures.

 

 

 

Incised Signature on the Original Terracotta of Rubens.

 

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 Signature on the Bristol Terracotta of van Dyck showing the distinct lack of definition -

indicating that it is a cast of a cast.

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