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Death of the Virgin
Lucas, Richard Cockle, born 1800 - died 1883 - Enlarge image
Death of the Virgin
- Object:
Relief
- Place of origin:
England, Great Britain (made)
- Date:
ca. 1845 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Lucas, Richard Cockle, born 1800 - died 1883 (maker)
Durer, Albrecht, born 1471 - died 1528 (after, maker)
Schweigger, George, born 1613 - died 1690 (after, maker) - Materials and Techniques:
Carved ivory
- Credit Line:
Given by R. C. Lucas
- Museum number:
191-1865
- Gallery location:
In Storage
This is an ivory plaque made by Richard Cockle Lucas in England in about 1845. The plaque is carved in high relief, representing the naming of St. John the Baptist. This plaque is a copy by Lucas of the plaque in Solnhofen stone in the British Museum which bears the signature of Dürer, but is now established as the work of Georg Schweigger (Nürnberg, 1613-1690).
Richard Cockle Lucas (1800-1883) is mainly known as a sculptor in wax and ivory, but he also worked in glass, marble and bronze, as well as being a painter. Lucas began his career as a sculptor as an apprentice to his uncle, who worked as a cutler in Winchester, carving knife handles. He joined the Royal Academy Schools in 1828 and studied under Richard Westmacott. Lucas made two models of the Parthenon, in its original state and after the explosion of 1687, which were acquired by the British Museum. He is best known for his small scale works including wax sculptures and ivory carvings. Lucas was at the centre of a controversy about the bust of Flora in the Kaiser Friedrich Museum in Berlin. The bust was thought to be an authentic work by Leonardo da Vinci but the sculptor's son Albert Dürer Lucas claimed in the Burlington Magazine that the bust was modelled by his father. It is now generally thought that the bust is probably by Leonardo or his circle but was repaired by Lucas. He exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1829 and 1859 and showed ivory carvings and imitation bronzes at the Great Exhibition in 1851.
