The Plaster busts and Statuettes supplied to Arniston House, Midlothian, Scotland by John Cheere.

This post edited 7 October 2020

After reviewing these busts and figures itis now clear that most of the busts were not supplied by Cheere - Most of the 16 busts are now believed to have been collected in Italy by the second Robert Dundas II,(1713 - 87) also a Lord Presidents of the Court of Session, whilst on his grand tour in the 1730's when he was studying at Utrecht University, but the figure of Shakespeare after Scheemakers monument and the accompanying statuette of Hercules after the Rysbrack Hercules at Stourhead and the bust of Newton are later casts perhaps by John Cheere but given the subjects could be by Harris of the Strand or Robert Shout of Holborn.

 An undated but mid to late 18th century list from the Arniston Muniments, Bundle 171 (Small Volume) personal Accounts Book of R Dundas (1750 - 85) records 'the busts in the Library at Arniston'

 Sir Isaac Newton        Diogenes

Aristotle                      Lucretia

Nero/supposed            Zeno

Jeron                           Antinous

Vestal Virgin               Solon

Homer                         Socrates

Cuero                          Euripides

 

Info from Architectural Heritage, vol 12, 2001. Pat Wigston

 The attribution of the figures of Shakespeare and Hercules and at least the bust of Newton to Cheere is based on the fact that work on the the Library refurbishment commenced in February 1756, when the alterations were made to the joinery and paint work and the busts were cleaned under the supervision of Edinburgh Wright George Stevenson. Stevenson had worked for the Dundas family since the 1730's at their town house in Edinburgh, at Ormiston Hall in Lothian and at Arniston. The Library was repainted by James Norrie the Edinburgh house painter who invoiced for £14 14 8d for painting the library in "oil white" for March and April 1756.  Norrie also gilded he capitals in library in1756.

see -

http://english18thcenturyportraitsculpture.blogspot.com/2016/03/arniston-house-plaster-bust-of-isaac.html

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Original post -

Although, as yet I have not been able to discover any paperwork to confirm, it can be safely assumed that these busts and statuettes were supplied by John Cheere in the 1740's for the old library at Arniston House, which was designed in the late Baroque style by William Adam (1689 - 1748), for the Scottish lawyer Robert Dundas.

                                    Shakespeare Statuette after Scheemakers, Homer and The Farnese Hercules.  

 

Possibly Pythagoras

 

 

 

 

 

 

Veiled Vestal and Cicero.

 

 

Zeno, Madonna, Nero.

Edit - the Madonna is based on St Susanna by Duquesnoy in Santa Maria di Loretto, Rome.

Possibly a cast by Cheere

 

 

 

Roman General there is a version by Roubiliac at the Huntington Library California, Zeno perhaps after Scheemakers.

 

 

 

 

Demosthenes, Isaac Newton and Agrippina.

 

 

Unknown classical? Female bust, Socrates, undetermined male bust.

 

 

 

 

Aristotle, unknown female bust, Antinous.

 

 

 

I am very grateful to Henrietta Dundas of Arniston House for supplying these images.

For the History of the Dundas Family and Arniston see -

https://archive.org/stream/arnistonmemoirst00omon#page/222/mode/2up

John Cheere and the Sculpture at Blair Castle

   

The Plaster Busts at Blair Castle, Blair Atholl, Perthshire.

by John Cheere.

John Cheere provided a substantial amount of statuary to the Duke of Atholl at Blair Castle.

        Including documented plaster busts for the library and lead statues for the garden.

Dryden

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Horace.

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Homer

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Plato

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Shakespeare.

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Aristotle

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Swift.

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Isaac Newton.

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Milton.

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These photographs along with the document detailing the objects supplied to Blair Castle by John Cheere in 1742 were kindly supplied by Jane Anderson, the current  Archivist at Blair Castle.

I hope to be able to visit Blair Castle this Summer and to obtain better photographs - these will have to do for the time being.

Along with the photographs of the Kirkleatham busts and statuettes supplied in 1749, and if one assumes that those busts and statuettes at Arniston House, Midlothian (see the next blog entry) were supplied at about the same time this give us a somewhat clearer picture than hitherto of the output of the plaster busts of John Cheere in the 1740's /50's.

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The Lead Statues at Blair Castle supplied by John Cheere in 1753 - 55.

Hercules.

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Flora

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Ceres.

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Documents dated March 1755 and April 1753 detailing statuary supplied to the Duke of Atholl at Blair.

The Black and white photographs were lifted from and for more information see -

http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/79643/digital_images/blair+castle+walled+garden/





The Bronzed Statuettes supplied to Chomley Turner 

by John Cheere in 1749 to 

Kirkleatham Hall, Yorkshire:

currently at York Museum Trust store.

Illustrated with further examples of the Cheere Type Statuettes.

 

 

The Kirkleatham Isaac Newton.

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Locke, Kirkleatham.

.......

 

 

Lead Locke Sold Sotheby's New York 31 Jan 2013.

Sold previously Sotheby's London 9 Nov 1999.

Traces of old paint, Modern Resin Base, Height 19 5/8" - 49.8cms.

Another version in plaster was listed in a 1754 letter from the Cheere to John Grimston.

 

Rear view Sotheby's Locke.

 

 

 

 

Milton. Kirkleatham.

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Milton - Musee de Beaux Arts de Belge. Height 52.3cms.

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Milton at Ham House, (National Trust).

Height 20.25".

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Inigo Jones. Kirkleatham.

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Alexander Pope. Kirkleatham.

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Lead Statuette of Alexander Pope, V and A.

Height 47cms.

Given by Dr W.L.Hildburgh in 1955 along with a lead statuette of Spenser.

 

Both figures purchased together for £50 - Sotheby's 29 May 1953.

Photograph from http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O75323/alexander-pope-1688-1744-statuette-cheere-john/

 

 

 

 

 

William Shakespeare after the Scheemaker Monument in Westminster Abbey,

Supplied Kirkleatham in 1749.

Height 19.5 ".

 

 

Shakespeare, Musee de Beaux Arts de Belge, Height 51.1cms.

 

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Plaster Shakespeare Ham House, National Trust. Height, 20.5".

Supplied 1756.

 

 

 

 

 

Homer. Kirkleatham.

 

 

 

The Group of Bronzed Plaster Statuettes at Ham House. Acquired in 1756.

Shakespeare, Milton and Spenser.From National Trust Website.

Shakespeare 20.5"
Milton 20.25"
Spenser 20.75"

 

The Plaster Busts and a pair of Plaster Statuettes of Rubens and van Dyke at West Wycombe Park.

 

Alexander Pope, approx. 21" tall

 

 

 

 

 

Isaac Newton approx. 21" tall.

 

 

 

 

Locke, approx. 21" tall.

 

 

 

 

 

Milton approx. 21" tall.

 

 

 

 

Socrates, approx. 21" tall.

 

The busts all have the same socle of the type used by John Cheere -

 see the photograph of the Milton bust above.

 

 

Bronzed Plaster Statuette of van Dyck after Rysbrack - approx. 23" tall.

 

 

Bronzed Plaster statuette of Rubens after Rysbrack, approx. 24" tall.

 

Photographs very kindly supplied by Sir Edward Dashwood of West Wycombe Park.

 

 

Another view of the plaster statuette of van Dyck at West Wycombe Park.

This version is signed and dated 1743.

As far as I can tell this plaster statuette of van Dyck is unique bearing this inscription. The terracotta at Bristol Museum does not bear the same signature on the pedestal that he is leaning against.

The Stourhead versions are not signed and the York Museum Trust/Kirkleatham version is signed by Cheere

 

I am visiting West Wycombe shortly and will be able to take detailed photographs.

A much fuller investigation into the various versions of the Rysbrack statuettes of van Dyck, Rubens and du Quesnoy statuettes will follow on this blog in due course.

 

Photo Mark Sisley -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Portrait of Rysbrack

Portrait of John - Michael Rysbrack

 Authors photograph.

Described on the FotoLibra website as Johannes Michel or John Michael Rysbrack (1693-1770)
by John Vanderbank (1694-1739).

The Statue in the back ground appears to be a reverse version of Du Quenoy's Saint Susanna completed 1633; in the Church of Santa Maria di Loreto, Rome.

Saint Susanna, Pantheon, Stourhead, Lifesize, Plaster.

Michael Rysbrack, (1693 - 1770) c.1729, Jonathan Richardson, the elder (1665 - 1745).

Height: 29." , Width: 25.5" approx.

                                                     Bequeathed by Captain H. B. Murray, 1910

Captain Murray bought the picture for 16 guineas at a sale at Christie's on 5th December 1908, where it was lot 107. The name of the previous owner is not given in the sale catalogue.

Victoria and Albert Museum.

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Engraved Vignette

Unknown author

National Portrait Gallery