Alderman John Boydell, Lord Mayor of London in 1790 thumbnail 1
Alderman John Boydell, Lord Mayor of London in 1790 thumbnail 2
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Alderman John Boydell, Lord Mayor of London in 1790

Bust
ca. 1791 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This painted plaster bust is made by Thomas Banks in ca. 1791 in England. The present piece is probably the model for a marble bust of Boydell originally in the Church of St Olave's Jewry, London. The Church was demolished in 1888, and the bust was subsequently removed to the Church of St Margaret's, Lothbury. Boydell was a print-seller and engraver and patron of the arts.

Thomas Banks (1735-1805) was apprenticed to a London mason, but also spent time working alongside the sculptor Peter Scheemakers (1691-1781). He enrolled in the life classes held at the St Martin's Lane Academy, and later at the Royal Academy Schools. In 1772 he became the first sculptor to win the Royal Academy's three-year travelling stipend, and went with his wife to Rome, where he eventually spent seven years. He specialised in ideal works, most of which were executed in Rome for British patrons, although he continued to produce similar work after his return to London. He was made a Royal Academician in 1786. Banks was one of the most original British Neo-classical sculptors, who dedicated his work to the antique spirit rather than to the fashionable classical style alone.. He tried to establish a market for modern gallery sculpture , which was particular for most patrons at the time preferred restored antique marbles, replicas, pastiches, busts and memorials.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleAlderman John Boydell, Lord Mayor of London in 1790 (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Painted plaster
Brief description
Bust, painted plaster, of Alderman John Boydell (1719-1804), Lord Mayor of London in 1790, by Thomas Banks, England, ca. 1791
Physical description
Bust of Boydell in Mayoral Robes. He is looking forward, the head turned slightly to the left.
Dimensions
  • Height: 85cm
Object history
Purchased from Miss Annie Bacon, 17 Gilston Road, London, together with cat. no. 261 in 1931 for £15. The bust belonged to Miss Bacon and her sister. Miss Bacon was apparently a descendant- possibly the great-granddaughter of the sculptor John Bacon the Elder. Fifty-four drawings for monuments by John Bacon the Elder and John Bacon the Younger were also purchased from Miss Bacon at this time; the total price of £45 included the two busts. The drawings are held in the department of Prints, Drawings and Paintings. A collection of sculptor's tools previously belonging the Bacon the Elder was given by the great-great-great granddaughter of the sculptor in 1998.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This painted plaster bust is made by Thomas Banks in ca. 1791 in England. The present piece is probably the model for a marble bust of Boydell originally in the Church of St Olave's Jewry, London. The Church was demolished in 1888, and the bust was subsequently removed to the Church of St Margaret's, Lothbury. Boydell was a print-seller and engraver and patron of the arts.

Thomas Banks (1735-1805) was apprenticed to a London mason, but also spent time working alongside the sculptor Peter Scheemakers (1691-1781). He enrolled in the life classes held at the St Martin's Lane Academy, and later at the Royal Academy Schools. In 1772 he became the first sculptor to win the Royal Academy's three-year travelling stipend, and went with his wife to Rome, where he eventually spent seven years. He specialised in ideal works, most of which were executed in Rome for British patrons, although he continued to produce similar work after his return to London. He was made a Royal Academician in 1786. Banks was one of the most original British Neo-classical sculptors, who dedicated his work to the antique spirit rather than to the fashionable classical style alone.. He tried to establish a market for modern gallery sculpture , which was particular for most patrons at the time preferred restored antique marbles, replicas, pastiches, busts and memorials.
Bibliographic references
  • Graves, A. The Royal Academy of Arts. A Complete Dictionary of Contributors and their work from its foundation in 1769 to 1904. I. p.105
  • Bell, C.F. ed. Annals of Thomas Banks. Sculptor, Royal Academician. Cambridge. 1938. p.85
  • Whinney, M. Sculpture in Britain 1530 to 1830.Second Edition. London. 1988
  • Trusted, Marjorie. British Sculpture 1470 to 2000. A Concise Catalogue of the Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum. London. 2002. pp. 51-2
  • Review of the Principal Acquisitions during the Year 1931.London: Published under the Authority of the Board of Education. 1932. p.53
  • Thomas Banks 1735-1805. Britain's first Modern Sculptor
Collection
Accession number
A.19-1931

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Record createdJune 12, 2009
Record URL
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