Not currently on display at the V&A

Right hand of Mr (George?) Leigh

Hand
1862-1890 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Boehm is known to have made a number of works for a family named Leigh, including a statue of Mr Leigh and busts of his two brothers. However the purpose of this model is unknown.

Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm (1834-1890) was an English sculptor and medallist born in Austrian, as the youngest son of Joseph Daniel Boehm (1794–1865), a court medallist and director of the Imperial Mint at Vienna. From 1848 to 1851 Joseph Edgar attended Leigh’s art academy (later Heatherley’s) in London and drew the Parthenon marbles in the British Museum. On his return to Vienna he enrolled at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste. Around 1858–9 he visited Italy, where he developed a lasting admiration for early Renaissance sculpture. From 1859 to 1862 he worked in Paris and was influenced by the work of Paul Gayrard (1807–1855). Boehm settled in London in 1862 where he befriended John Leech and John Everett Millais, both of whom he portrayed in statuettes in 1863. A statuette of William Makepeace Thackeray (1864) led to an edition of 70 plaster casts. Boehm frequently worked in terracotta, a material common in French sculpture but less familiar in English. Queen Victoria’s admiration of Boehm’s statuettes led to an association with the royal family that lasted from 1869 until his death. Most of Boehm’s works are portrait busts. Boehm was immensely prolific: some 360 different works are documented. He was a highly consistent sculptor, rarely deviating from his brand of realism. He was modest about his immense popularity and aware of his imaginative shortcomings (cit.: M. Stocker: 'Boehm, Joseph Edgar').


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleRight hand of Mr (George?) Leigh (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Plaster cast
Brief description
Model, plaster cast, right hand of Mr. (?George) Leigh, Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm, after 1862
Physical description
Left hand, plaster.
Dimensions
  • Length: 23.5cm
  • Width: 13cm
  • Depth: 8.5cm
  • Weight: 0.84cm
Credit line
Given by the executors of Sir J.E. Boehm in 1892.
Subject depicted
Summary
Boehm is known to have made a number of works for a family named Leigh, including a statue of Mr Leigh and busts of his two brothers. However the purpose of this model is unknown.

Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm (1834-1890) was an English sculptor and medallist born in Austrian, as the youngest son of Joseph Daniel Boehm (1794–1865), a court medallist and director of the Imperial Mint at Vienna. From 1848 to 1851 Joseph Edgar attended Leigh’s art academy (later Heatherley’s) in London and drew the Parthenon marbles in the British Museum. On his return to Vienna he enrolled at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste. Around 1858–9 he visited Italy, where he developed a lasting admiration for early Renaissance sculpture. From 1859 to 1862 he worked in Paris and was influenced by the work of Paul Gayrard (1807–1855). Boehm settled in London in 1862 where he befriended John Leech and John Everett Millais, both of whom he portrayed in statuettes in 1863. A statuette of William Makepeace Thackeray (1864) led to an edition of 70 plaster casts. Boehm frequently worked in terracotta, a material common in French sculpture but less familiar in English. Queen Victoria’s admiration of Boehm’s statuettes led to an association with the royal family that lasted from 1869 until his death. Most of Boehm’s works are portrait busts. Boehm was immensely prolific: some 360 different works are documented. He was a highly consistent sculptor, rarely deviating from his brand of realism. He was modest about his immense popularity and aware of his imaginative shortcomings (cit.: M. Stocker: 'Boehm, Joseph Edgar').
Bibliographic references
  • Bilbey, Diane and Trusted, Marjorie. British Sculpture 1470-2000. A Concise Catalogue of the Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2002, p. 217, cat.no. 327
  • List of Reproductions in Electrotype and Plaster acquired by the South Kensington Museum in the Year 1892. London, 1893, p. 15.
Collection
Accession number
REPRO.1892-114

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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